What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHomosalate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Isononanoate
EmollientPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dilauryl Thiodipropionate
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tromethamine
BufferingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolymethyl Methacrylate
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Isohexadecane
EmollientAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCannabis Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Masking
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCoriandrum Sativum Fruit/Leaf Extract
AntiseborrhoeicCupressus Sempervirens Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningFucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract
Masking
Prunus Persica Fruit Extract
Abrasive
Rose Extract
Skin ConditioningVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Water, Homosalate, Glycerin, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Isopropyl Myristate, Caprylyl Glycol, Dilauryl Thiodipropionate, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Tromethamine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Isohexadecane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hexylene Glycol, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Polysorbate 60, Tocopheryl Acetate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Extract, Coriandrum Sativum Fruit/Leaf Extract, Cupressus Sempervirens Leaf/Stem Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Prunus Persica Fruit Extract, Rose Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Histidine
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Glucose
Humectant
Maltose
MaskingFructose
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Urea
Buffering
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lecithin
Emollient
Triolein
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingIsoceteth-20
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Triethanolamine
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lecithin, Triolein, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolPolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Water. 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
