What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water
MaskingErythritol
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Mentha Suaveolens Leaf Extract
AstringentMentha Viridis Leaf Extract
Masking
Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
C12-14 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Erythritol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Adenosine, Allantoin, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Bisabolol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Mentha Suaveolens Leaf Extract, Mentha Viridis Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, C12-14 Pareth-12, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Limonene, Linalool
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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolWater. 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
