What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylate-21
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Pullulan
Silica
Abrasive
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantButylene Glycol
Humectant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Trideceth-6 Phosphate
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGossypium Herbaceum Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientAlumina
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Polyacrylate-21, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Pullulan, Silica, Mica, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Trideceth-6 Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Dipropylene Glycol, Gossypium Herbaceum Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Alumina, Tocopherol, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinWater. 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
