What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Niacinamide
Smoothing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningAsiaticoside
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Glycerin, Caprylyl Methicone, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Madecassoside, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Water, Asiaticoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Adenosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Allantoin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Octyldodecanol, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Tromethamine
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Secale Cereale Seed Extract
Abrasive
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Tromethamine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Carbomer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Secale Cereale Seed Extract, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol
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
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
