What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentVinegar
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Punica Granatum Extract
AstringentHibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Extract
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSaccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
C12-14 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingQuaternium-80
Amodimethicone
Sorbitol
Humectant
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingTrideceth-12
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Octanediol
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Alcohol Denat., Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Vinegar, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glycerin, C12-14 Pareth-12, Quaternium-80, Amodimethicone, Sorbitol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Aminomethyl Propanol, Trideceth-12, Pentylene Glycol, Octanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Limonene, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningPEG-40/PPG-8 Methylaminopropyl/Hydroxypropyl Dimethicone Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Vp/Methacrylamide/Vinyl Imidazole Copolymer
Polyimide-1
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantDMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Phenylpropanol
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, PEG-40/PPG-8 Methylaminopropyl/Hydroxypropyl Dimethicone Copolymer, Glycerin, Vp/Methacrylamide/Vinyl Imidazole Copolymer, Polyimide-1, Dipropylene Glycol, DMDM Hydantoin, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Phenylpropanol, Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, 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.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
