What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingBakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract
MaskingTetrapeptide-21
Skin Conditioning
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Phytic Acid
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Arginine
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium Phosphate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Isononyl Isononanoate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Coconut Alkanes, Cetyl Phosphate, Bakuchiol, Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract, Tetrapeptide-21, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Phytic Acid, Tocopherol, Arginine, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Petrolatum
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tridecyl Trimellitate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Tribehenin
Emollient
PEG-10 Phytosterol
EmulsifyingMagnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Pullulan
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingNeopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Tridecyl Stearate
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Water, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Tridecyl Trimellitate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenyl Trimethicone, Retinol, Adenosine, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ceramide Ng, Sodium Hyaluronate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Tribehenin, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tridecyl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Carbomer, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Benzoic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycolGlycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
