What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDiphenyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium DNA
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Dipeptide-15
Skin Conditioning
Gellan Gum
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Calcium Chloride
AstringentCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingXylitol
Humectant
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Pyrus Malus Juice
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Cynanchum Atratum Extract
Skin ConditioningSolanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientOctanediol
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Althaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningBeta-Carotene
Skin ConditioningDaucus Carota Sativa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Castanea Sativa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Phosphate
BufferingAcetyl Glutamine
Skin ConditioningAgar
MaskingMagnesium Sulfate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDiphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate
Skin ConditioningPyrus Malus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Aureobasidium Pullulans Ferment
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHippophae Rhamnoides Oil
Emollient
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAmber Powder
Sodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment
AntimicrobialMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Potassium Chloride
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingWater, Diphenyl Dimethicone, Dipropylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycereth-26, Propanediol, Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium DNA, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Hydroxyacetophenone, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Xylitylglucoside, Allantoin, Dipeptide-15, Gellan Gum, Anhydroxylitol, Calcium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Adenosine, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Glycerin, Sodium Citrate, Xylitol, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Pyrus Malus Juice, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Octanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Beta-Carotene, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Castanea Sativa Seed Extract, Dipotassium Phosphate, Acetyl Glutamine, Agar, Magnesium Sulfate, Xanthan Gum, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate, Pyrus Malus Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Aureobasidium Pullulans Ferment, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Ceramide NP, Sodium Chloride, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Copper Tripeptide-1, Cellulose Gum, Amber Powder, Sodium Bicarbonate, Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventNiacinamide
Smoothing
Althaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCalamine
AbsorbentHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Tromethamine
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Calamine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Allantoin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tromethamine, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Caffeine, Disodium EDTA, Parfum
Reviews
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
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.
The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.
A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
Learn more about AdenosineAllantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinThis ingredient comes from the hollyhock flower. It has skin conditioning properties.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
