What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isododecane
EmollientGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
PEG-6
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantRetinal
Skin Conditioning
Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isododecane, Glycolic Acid, Isopropyl Alcohol, PEG-6, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Polysorbate 60, CI 17200, Retinal, Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol
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 GlycerinIsopropyl Alcohol is more commonly known as rubbing alcohol. It is most commonly used as a solvent, meaning it helps other ingredients dissolve.
This ingredient is an astringent alcohol. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin as they high amounts may strip away your skin's natural oils.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Isopropyl AlcoholWe don't have a description for PEG-6 yet.
This ingredient is also known as milk thistle extract. It has antioxidant that can help soothe skin and even out skin tone.
Clinical studies found topical milk thistle extract can help improve the appearance of discoloration over time. This is most likely because it can help calm inflammation and supports more balanced pigment activity in the skin.
In real-world studies, products containing this extract were associated with fewer clogged pores and fewer acne lesions.
Lab studies show milk thistle has been shown to:
Research on this ingredient also found a sustained and significant decrease in acne lesion counts (a ~45% improvement after 6 months and ~59% at 12 months).
Learn more about Silybum Marianum Fruit ExtractSorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateWater. 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
