What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCopernicia Cerifera Wax
Stearic Acid
CleansingHydrogenated Jojoba Oil
AbrasiveGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantOleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides
EmollientOryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin ConditioningVp/Eicosene Copolymer
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates Copolymer
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium Phosphate
BufferingPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingSodium Phosphate
BufferingCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Glycerin, Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acrylates Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Phosphate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phosphate, CI 77499
Water
Skin ConditioningBeeswax
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingCopernicia Cerifera Wax
Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate
Skin ConditioningAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingCellulose
AbsorbentGlyceryl Behenate
EmollientJojoba Esters
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCetyl Palmitate
EmollientSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingSorbitan Palmitate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmollientSodium Benzoate
MaskingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Phytate
Phosphoric Acid
BufferingCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientZea Mays Starch
AbsorbentCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientWater, Beeswax, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Castor Isostearate Beeswax Succinate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Cellulose, Glyceryl Behenate, Jojoba Esters, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Sodium Benzoate, Cellulose Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Phytate, Phosphoric Acid, CI 77499, Glyceryl Stearate, Zea Mays Starch, Cetearyl Alcohol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acacia Senegal Gum has skin soothing, thickening, and formulation stabilizing properties. It comes from the Acacia tree that is native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Ci 77499 is also hydrated iron III oxide. It is created from mixing red and black iron oxides. This helps give shades of darkness to a product.
Iron III oxides are classified as inorganic chemicals for coloring.
Copernicia Cerifera Wax comes from a palm tree native to Brazil; another name for this ingredient is Carnauba Wax.
This ingredient is used to thicken texture and also leaves behind a film when applied.
Fun fact: This wax has the highest melting point of all natural waxes and low solubility.
Learn more about Copernicia Cerifera WaxEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 StearateWater. 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 Water