What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Cucumis Sativus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Straw Extract
Skin ConditioningPersea Gratissima Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXylitol
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Phoenix Dactylifera Seed Extract
MoisturisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Soyethyl Morpholinium Ethosulfate
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningCeramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Betaine, Sodium PCA, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus Extract, Avena Sativa Straw Extract, Persea Gratissima Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitol, Glucose, Anhydroxylitol, Phoenix Dactylifera Seed Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Panthenol, Ethoxydiglycol, Sodium Gluconate, Tocopherol, Hyaluronic Acid, Soyethyl Morpholinium Ethosulfate, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide As, Glyceryl Glucoside
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Nopalea Cochenillifera Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Polyquaternium-7
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Water, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Decyl Glucoside, Lauric Acid, Glycol Distearate, Xylitol, Glucose, Anhydroxylitol, Nopalea Cochenillifera Extract, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium PCA, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Metabisulfite, Titanium Dioxide, Ceramide AP, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, BHT
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is created from dehydrating xylitol in acidic conditions. Xylitol is a famous sugar and humectant.
Much like its predecessor, anhydroxylitol is a humectant. Humectants attract and hold water to moisturize the skin.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol (24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
This ingredient is often derived from plants such as wood and sugarcane.
Learn more about AnhydroxylitolCeramide AP is is a skin-identical lipid that mimics what your skin already makes naturally. Ceramides help maintain epidermal integrity and barrier function.
You'll often see this ingredient paired with other ceramides (like ceramide NP), cholesterol, or fatty acids because this combination best mimics the natural lipid mix your skin already has.
The skin's ability to produce ceramides gets disrupted in skin conditions like eczema. This in turn weakens the skin barrier and applying ceramides topically has been shown to replenish what's been lost to restore barrier function.
Most of the studies with Ceramide AP test it as part of a multi-ceramide complex; studies reinforce ceramide AP's role in rebalancing ceramides in skin and improving skin hydration.
Learn more about Ceramide APGlucose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide). In skincare, it is mostly a humectant and skin conditioning agent.
Mechanistically, it has multiple hydroxyl groups that hydrogen-bond to water. This pulls moisture into the upper layers of skin to keep the surface soft and hydrated.
It's worth knowing sugars are already a natural component of the skin's NMF (natural moisturizing factor) so it's a molecule that your stratum corneum is well-acquainted with.
Just so you know, glucose is hydrophilic (water-loving) and the stratum corneum is a strong barrier to hydrophilic compounds. This just means penetration is slow and most of the action is happening on the surface.
Gram-to-gram, glucose is not as efficient as a humectant as glycerin. This is why you'll likely see glycose paired with stronger humectants for a bigger hydration payoff.
In skincare, glucose is typically derived from corn or other starch sources.
Learn more about GlucoseGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Glucoside is made from glycerol and glucose.
It is a humectant. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture to it from the air.
Some foods that contain glyceryl glucoside include sake, miso, and wines.
Learn more about Glyceryl GlucosidePhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
