What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningMethyl Caprooyl Tyrosinate
Skin ProtectingPhytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tropolone
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Methyl Caprooyl Tyrosinate, Phytosterols, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Arginine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tropolone
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glucose
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Heptapeptide-4
Humectant
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Palmitic Acid, Octyldodecanol, Stearic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Saccharide Isomerate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glucose, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide AP, Ceramide NP, Acetyl Heptapeptide-4, Ceramide EOP, Cetearyl Glucoside, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Phytate, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Beta-Glucan, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Citrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
