What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ag
Humectant
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
2,3-Butanediol
HumectantButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCholesterol
Emollient
Ethyl Linoleate
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Crocus Sativus Flower Extract
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Glucoside, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Betaine, Sodium Polyacrylate, Trideceth-6, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide NP, Ceramide Ag, Ceramide AP, Hydrogenated Lecithin, 2,3-Butanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Stearic Acid, Ceteareth-20, Cholesterol, Ethyl Linoleate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Zinc Oxide, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Pentylene Glycol, Crocus Sativus Flower Extract, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
C13-15 Alkane
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Lactate
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOphiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, C13-15 Alkane, Glycerin, Lauryl Lactate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Arginine, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium PCA, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Maltodextrin, Ceramide NP, Ascorbyl Palmitate, 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.
Ceramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene 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%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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
