What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Polysorbate 40
Emulsifying
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Tea-Stearate
Cleansing
PEG-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Perfluorodecalin
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether
Skin ConditioningJuglans Regia Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningLeontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningNasturtium Officinale Extract
Perfuming
Pimpinella Anisum Fruit Extract
MaskingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
Poloxamer 188
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Water, Stearic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Polysorbate 40, Pentylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Tea-Stearate, PEG-2 Stearate, Perfluorodecalin, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Polyperfluoromethylisopropyl Ether, Juglans Regia Seed Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Extract, Pimpinella Anisum Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, P-Anisic Acid, Poloxamer 188, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Metabisulfite
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycoproteins
Skin Conditioning
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentCaviar Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pullulan
Mangifera Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract
Sodium DNA
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate
Skin ProtectingCarnosine
Skin Conditioning
Rna
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Rice Bran Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Malic Acid
Buffering
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Polyglucuronic Acid
Skin ConditioningRetinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycoproteins, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Caviar Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pullulan, Mangifera Indica Seed Oil, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Lactic Acid, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Sodium DNA, Ceramide NP, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Carnosine, Rna, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Protein, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Polyglucuronic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Extract, Tetrapeptide-3, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Parfum, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 19140, CI 14700, CI 15985
Reviews
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 Water
