What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Surfactant
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Acrylates Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Tromethamine
BufferingGlyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Water, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Squalane, Ectoin, Citric Acid, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Maltodextrin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide NP, Butylene Glycol, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Lactic Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Propylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Benzoate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
