What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
HumectantWater
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Surfactant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Butylene Glycol
HumectantPhaseolus Radiatus Seed Powder
Lauryl Betaine
CleansingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantVigna Radiata Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingAlcohol
AntimicrobialBetaine
HumectantPolyquaternium-39
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningDextrin
AbsorbentTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
AntioxidantCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPhellodendron Amurense Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientSolanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
MaskingOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
MaskingAnthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingFicus Carica Fruit Extract
HumectantCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Powder
Glycerin, Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Butylene Glycol, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Powder, Lauryl Betaine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Chloride, Alcohol, Betaine, Polyquaternium-39, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingLauric Acid
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingSodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningAspartic Acid
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Dextrin
AbsorbentHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Water
MaskingMalt Extract
Skin Protecting1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningGardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCoptis Japonica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialMaltodextrin
AbsorbentMannitol
HumectantEpigallocatechin Gallate
AntioxidantSh-Decapeptide-5 Sp
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Tetrapeptide-2
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Lauric Acid, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Aspartic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Dextrin, Hexylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Malt Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Maltodextrin, Mannitol, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Sh-Decapeptide-5 Sp, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2
Reviews
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 GlycolDextrin is a starch-derived polysaccharide. It's made by partially breaking down corn, potato, or other plant starches.
Think of it as "half-processed" starch; it's less complex than the original but not fully broken down into sugar like maltodextrin.
In cosmetics, it mainly functions as a bulking agent, viscosity controller, binder, and absorbent. It helps thicken products, stabilize powders, and get certain textures a less "wet" feel.
This ingredient has a pretty solid safety profile; it's recognized as a safe food additive and its large molecular size means it doesn't meaningfully penetrate skin.
Human repeat insult patch tests using a rinse-off facial product containing 42.69% dextrin found no skin irritation or sensitization in 54 subjects.
Typical real-world usage is much lower: usually under 1% as a texture modifier and up to 40% in masks (rinse off products use less).
Learn more about DextrinEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is a modified starch used to help thicken a product.
It is also used in foods.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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