What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Mentha Viridis Leaf Extract
Masking
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Aspergillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningBrassica Oleracea Capitata Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningBrassica Oleracea Italica Extract
AstringentMedicago Sativa Extract
TonicSorghum Bicolor Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningTriticum Vulgare Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningBrassica Campestris Extract
Skin ConditioningRaphanus Sativus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Carbomer, Arginine, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Madecassoside, Mentha Viridis Leaf Extract, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Propanediol, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Aspergillus Ferment, Brassica Oleracea Capitata Sprout Extract, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Sorghum Bicolor Leaf/Stem Extract, Triticum Vulgare Sprout Extract, Brassica Campestris Extract, Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract, Saccharide Isomerate
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentaerythrityl Stearate/Caprate/Caprylate/Adipate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMyristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningSea Water
HumectantPhytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Palmitoyl Palmitamide Mea
HumectantBis-Capryloyloxypalmitamido Isopropanol
EmollientN-Decanoyl Serinol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil
Masking
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Salvia Officinalis Oil
Masking
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
Masking
Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
Masking
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Juniperus Mexicana Oil
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningAzulene
Skin Conditioning
Lysine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Threonine
Valine
MaskingWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Pentaerythrityl Stearate/Caprate/Caprylate/Adipate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sorbitan Stearate, Stearic Acid, Carbomer, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Sea Water, Phytosterols, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Palmitamide Mea, Bis-Capryloyloxypalmitamido Isopropanol, N-Decanoyl Serinol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Leucine, Azulene, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Valine
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
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 GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinMyristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea (M/PO/AM) is a synthetic pseudoceramide; it's basically a lab-made ingredient designed to mimic the ceramides that your skin naturally produces.
What makes this ingredient special? It is connected to something called multi-lamellar emulsion (MLE) technology.
Your skin's outermost layer (stratum corneum) is often described as a "brick wall" where skin cells are bricks and lipids hold everything together. Your lipids are Ceramides, Cholesterol, and free fatty acids.
These fatty acids are not just randomly squished together. They're arranged in very specific layered (lamellar) structures. Your barrier suffers when the layer structure gets disrupted from things like eczema, harsh weather, or over-exfoliating.
M/PO/AM is formulated within MLE technology to closely replicate your skin's natural layers, setting it apart from other ceramides.
The research behind M/PO/AM is pretty solid for eczema, aka atopic dermatitis. A 2003 study on children with eczema found that an MLE cream containing M/PO/AM outperformed a standard urea-based moisturizer. The study also found a 31-35% decrease in severity index compared to smaller improvements from the control cream.
Recently, a 2024 trial found that combining M/PO/AM with topical corticosteroid led to better outcomes than using the steroid alone. The trial noted improvements in skin hydration, dryness, itching, and quality of life scores.
Research has also shown that M/PO/AM can help reduce barrier-damaging side effects of long term topical steroid use.
This ingredient also goes by the trade name PC-9S. No notable allergy concerns have been flagged for this ingredient in the published literature.
Learn more about Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide MeaWater. 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
