What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientCyclomethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Polyacrylamide
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLaureth-7
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cyclomethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Caffeine, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Polyacrylamide, Phenoxyethanol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Octyldodecanol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Laureth-7, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
