What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCollagen Water
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingChondrus Crispus Powder
AbrasiveButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCeratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientBetaine
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantChondrus Crispus
MaskingCyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCalcium Chloride
AstringentAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
EmulsifyingPotassium Chloride
Glucomannan
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventTrehalose
HumectantButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCalcium Aluminum Borosilicate
Sucrose
HumectantCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCaffeine
Skin ConditioningCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantTin Oxide
AbrasiveLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Collagen
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantCollagen Extract
Skin ConditioningElastin
Skin ConditioningGlycosaminoglycans
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
HumectantAscorbic Acid Polypeptide
AntioxidantSh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin ConditioningSh-Oligopeptide-2
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-1
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-22
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-3
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Octapeptide-3
HumectantAcetyl Tetrapeptide-2
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin ProtectingAcetyl Tetrapeptide-5
HumectantAcetyl Tetrapeptide-9
Skin ConditioningCarnosine
Skin ConditioningCopper Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningNonapeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Collagen Water, Niacinamide, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Betaine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Chondrus Crispus, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Calcium Chloride, Allantoin, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Potassium Chloride, Glucomannan, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Propanediol, Trehalose, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Sucrose, Cellulose Gum, Adenosine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 77891, Caffeine, CI 77491, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Tin Oxide, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Tocopherol, Collagen Extract, Elastin, Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-22, Sh-Polypeptide-3, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, Carnosine, Copper Tripeptide-1, Nonapeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Water
Skin ConditioningCollagen Water
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningArginine
MaskingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantCollagen Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Elastin
EmollientGalactomyces Ferment Filtrate
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantSh-Polypeptide-22
Skin ConditioningSh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-1
Skin ConditioningSh-Oligopeptide-2
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-3
Skin ConditioningWater, Collagen Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Arginine, Allantoin, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Polyacrylate, Cyanocobalamin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen Extract, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sh-Polypeptide-22, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-3
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.Â
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 preservativesÂ
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 GlycolCollagen extract is derived from parts of animals. It has skin conditioning properties and is mostly comprised of glycine, proline, and hydroxypoline. These are amino acids.
While our skin does have collagen, this ingredient is not used by the skin for anti-aging. Applying collagen topically has not been linked to helping with collagen loss in skin. All the benefits of collagen are related to hydration.
This ingredient will not increase sun sensitivity, but you should always wear sunscreen during the day.
Learn more about Collagen ExtractCollagen Water can help to reduce the effects of aging.
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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a synthetic signal lipopeptide. This just means it is a three amino acid chain bolted onto a palmitic acid tail so it can slip through the skin's lipid barrier.
This peptide has a "build more, lose less" approach.
It's designed to mimic the collagen-stimulating activity in your skin by copying a snippet of one of your skin's own matrix proteins. This nudges fibroblasts into making more collagen while inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down skin protein.
The manufacturer's in vivo study of 45 volunteers found 1% and 2.5% reduced the appearance of wrinkles by 7% and 12% respectively, after using it twice daily for 84 days.
This is in the expected range for peptides; they're slow and cumulative actives and not overnight fixers.
Typical use levels range from 1-3% and this ingredient gets along with pretty much everything.
On the fungal acne front:
Although palmitic acid sits in the chain length that Malassezia can feed on, this ingredient has it locked in an amine bond. This makes it hard for Malassezia to access as a source of food, and therefore fungal acne safe.
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier.
It rounds up dirt, oil, and grime, so they can be rinsed off easily as a cleanser.
On the emulsifier side, it keeps your formula smooth and well-mixed by playing peacekeeper for ingredients that don't naturally get along (like oil and water).
Because it has a C12 (lauric acid) fatty acid chain, this ingredient can potentially feed the Malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne. The Malassezia yeast prefers esters with C11-C24 fatty acids.
This ingredient is an ester of lauric acid and Polyglycerin-10.
Learn more about Polyglyceryl-10 Lauratesh-Oligopeptide-1 is a peptide found naturally in our bodies. Peptides are the building blocks for collagen and elastin in our skin.
In cosmetics, this ingredient is bioengineered to be identical to a human gene that codes for epidermal growth factor (EGF). EGF are signal molecules that simulate cell growth and healing.
Studies find EGF help with:
In South Korea and China, EGF is considered a controversial ingredient. The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has cracked down on companies with products including EGF due to false advertisement claims.
According to Dr. Zoe Draelos, growth factors have some drawbacks:
There is also controversy surrounding growth factors. The controversy is due to their mitogenic activity, or their ability to increase the number of cells. It is best to avoid using growth factors if you have psoriasis or are at risk of skin cancer. However, it should be noted EGF are not mutagenic - meaning they will not cause cancer.
Learn more about Sh-Oligopeptide-1This peptide has similar properties to Sh-Oligopeptide-1.
In cosmetics, this ingredient is bioengineered to be identical to a human gene that codes for epidermal growth factor (EGF). EGF are signal molecules that simulate cell growth and healing.
There is also controversy surrounding EGF. The controversy is due to their mitogenic activity, or their ability to increase the number of cells. It is best to avoid using growth factors if you have psoriasis or are at risk of skin cancer. However, it should be noted EGF are not mutagenic - meaning they will not cause cancer.
Learn more about Sh-Oligopeptide-2Sh-Polypeptide-1 is a signal peptide that tells our cells to create more fibroblast cells. Fibroblasts maintain skin structure and plays a role in wound healing.
It is important to note this ingredient is mitogenic and not mutagenic. Meaning it will stimulate cell multiplication, and will not cause cancer.
Peptides are amino acids naturally found in your skin. These amino acids make up many proteins your skin uses. Collagen is made up of peptides. Collagen is responsible for keeping your skin plump and youthful.
As you age, your body naturally produces less collagen. Since peptides are the building blocks of collagen, it may have anti-aging effects.
Sh-Polypeptide-3 is a peptide.
Water. 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