The INKEY List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Stick Versus The INKEY List PHA Body Water Cream

The INKEY List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Stick Versus The INKEY List PHA Body Water Cream

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Octyldodecanol

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax

Glycolic Acid

Ozokerite

Cetearyl Alcohol

Water

PEG-100 Stearate

Glyceryl Stearate

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Salicylic Acid

Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Tocopherol

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Octyldodecanol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Glycolic Acid, Ozokerite, Cetearyl Alcohol, Water, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Salicylic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

C15-19 Alkane

Gluconolactone

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate

Benzyl Alcohol

Sodium Hydroxide

Ethylhexylglycerin

Dehydroacetic Acid

Water, C15-19 Alkane, Gluconolactone, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Cetearyl 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.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Glyceryl 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.

Jojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.

Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.

Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.

Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).

Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.

Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.

Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. 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!

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