Skin science article
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ Versus Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ Versus Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Petrolatum and Urea to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin. This barrier-repair moisturizer is for
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ Versus Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream
This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Petrolatum and Urea to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil and Ceramide NP to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Paraffinum Liquidum
Glycerin
Petrolatum
Stearic Acid
Glyceryl Stearate
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Urea
Lanolin Alcohol
Triethanolamine
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Helianthus Annuus Seedcake
Propylene Glycol Dicaprate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Butylene Glycol
Pentylene Glycol
Trisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
CI 15985
CI 19140
CI 17200
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Urea, Lanolin Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seedcake, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, CI 15985, CI 19140, CI 17200
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Isopropyl Isostearate
Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Cetearyl Alcohol
Palmitic Acid
Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil
Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil
Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Polyglyceryl-6 Ximenia Americana Seedate
Cholesterol
Ceramide AP
Ceramide EOP
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Ceramide NP
Phytosphingosine
Ceteareth-20
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Tocopherol
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Sodium Hydroxide
Citric Acid
Carbomer
Xanthan Gum
Caprylyl Glycol
Chlorphenesin
Ethylhexylglycerin
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Isostearate, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Ximenia Americana Seedate, Cholesterol, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Ceteareth-20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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.
Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Stearic 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.
Water. 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!