What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantDimethicone
EmollientIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientPaeonia Albiflora Root Extract
Skin ConditioningMarrubium Vulgare Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCurcuma Longa Root Extract
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingSorbitan Stearate
EmulsifyingPEG-100 Stearate
SurfactantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium EDTA
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeDiazolidinyl Urea
PreservativeChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialSodium Benzoate
MaskingLactic Acid
BufferingParfum
MaskingCoumarin
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
PerfumingCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15510
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenoxyethanol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Coumarin, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, CI 42090, CI 15510, CI 19140
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Curcuma Longa Root Extract comes from the rhizome (underground stem) of the turmeric plant.
While the official EU Cosing Database lists this ingredient as a fragrance, it actually does more than give products a scent.
This ingredient contains a group of yellow pigments called curcuminoids (mostly curcumin) that give it genuine antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in skin.
Reviews of topical clinical studies have found turmeric/curcumin to be generally well-tolerated and useful across conditions like eczema and mild inflammation.
One thing working in its favor is that curcumin barely penetrates; in lab skin-permeation testing, the curcuminoids mostly stayed in the outermost layer of skin. This is a good thing because its soothing and antioxidant activity is a surface-level job anyway.
At this time, industry data shows there's no single "correct" cosmetic percentage. It's used across a wide range depending on the product and varies from tiny fractions of a percent up to a few percent.
Allergy-wise, curcumin is a documented (but uncommon) contact allergen. It can also cross react with related plants, so anyone with a turmeric/ginger/cinnamon allergy or reactive skin should patch test first.
Learn more about Curcuma Longa Root ExtractGlycerin (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