What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Tridecyl Trimellitate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isostearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol Cocoate
Emulsifying
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Mannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Rhamnose
HumectantLaminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylcellulose
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Polyethylene, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isostearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol Cocoate, Fructooligosaccharides, Mannitol, Xylitol, Caffeine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Rhamnose, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylcellulose
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
C15-19 Alkane
SolventButylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Squalane
Emollient
Isostearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol Cocoate
Emulsifying
Cellulose
Absorbent
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCarnosine
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Mannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Ethylcellulose
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Rhamnose
HumectantGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glabridin
BleachingAcetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, C15-19 Alkane, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Squalane, Isostearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol Cocoate, Cellulose, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Carnosine, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Mannitol, Xylitol, Ethylcellulose, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Tocopherol, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Rhamnose, Glycine Soja Oil, Glabridin, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
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 Cocoate isn't fungal acne safe. It can be bad for dry skin.
Caffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineWe don't have a description for Ethylcellulose yet.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinIsostearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol. It's made by hydrogenating isostearic acid from plant oils (usually coconut or soybean)
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not the same as solvent alcohols like alcohol denatured.
It has three roles in skincare:
Clinical patch testing found 25% of Isostearyl Alcohol in petrolatum showed only mild irritation in a small minority (your product will not have nearly as high of an amount).
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because it sits in the C11-C24 range that feeds the Malassezia yeast.
One last thing, the FDA allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Isostearyl AlcoholMannitol is a sugar alcohol. It is a humectant and moisturizes the skin. In vitro (not tested on a living organism), mannitol displays antioxidant properties.
When found in aqueous solutions, mannitol tends to become acidic. This is because it loses a hydrogen ion. This is why mannitol can often be found with pH adjusting ingredients, such as sodium bicarbonate.
Fun fact: Mannitol can be found in foods as a sweetener. It can be naturally found in mushrooms, algae, fruits, and veggies.
Learn more about MannitolWe don't have a description for Rhamnose yet.
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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
