What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecanol
EmollientCanola Oil
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingTripelargonin
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingHydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantSodium Benzoate
MaskingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
MaskingCitral
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Octyldodecanol, Canola Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tripelargonin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Benzoate, Carbomer, Parfum, Citral, Limonene, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientButylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantPropylene Glycol
HumectantUrea
BufferingDimethicone
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCetyl Palmitate
EmollientHydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
EmollientMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
EmollientGossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningSqualane
EmollientSodium Lactate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningCeramide AP
Skin ConditioningCeramide EOP
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin ConditioningCholesterol
EmollientSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningMalic Acid
BufferingButylene Glycol
HumectantInulin
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingLactic Acid
BufferingWater, Isononyl Isononanoate, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Urea, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Cetyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil, Squalane, Sodium Lactate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Malic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Inulin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Lactic 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.
Carbomer 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 CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateHydrogenated Coco-Glycerides isn't fungal acne safe.
Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumWater. 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