What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantHydrolyzed Prunus Domestica
Skin ConditioningSoy Isoflavones
Skin ConditioningLepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate
HumectantVibrio Alginolyticus Ferment Filtrate
Abrasive
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Coco-Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Mica, Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica, Soy Isoflavones, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate, Vibrio Alginolyticus Ferment Filtrate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Lecithin, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Polysorbate 80, Alcohol Denat., Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Soy Isoflavones
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Prunus Domestica
Skin ConditioningDictyopteris Membranacea Extract
Antioxidant
Pancratium Maritimum Extract
BleachingDimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol
Antioxidant
Oligopeptide-68
Bleaching
Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Oleate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Water, Coco-Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Soy Isoflavones, Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica, Dictyopteris Membranacea Extract, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Oligopeptide-68, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Lecithin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polysorbate 80, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Oleate, Disodium EDTA
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 GlycolCoco-Caprylate is a lightweight emollient made by combining coconut-derived fatty alcohols (caprylic and capric acid).
Its primary role in formulas is as a skin-softening emollient with excellent spreadability (it's considered a plant-based alternative to silicone oils like dimethicone).
This ingredient is considered safe for use and concentrations range from 0.5-62%.
Caprylic and capric fall outside the C11-24 range that Malassezia feeds on, and a 2020 study found caprylic acid disrupted Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Coco-CaprylateDimethylmethoxy Chromanol is an antioxidant.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient is used for skin whitening, freckle removal, and photoprotection.
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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica yet.
Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract is an antioxidant.
Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinWe don't have a description for Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract yet.
Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Polysorbate 80 is a synthetic surfactant and emulsifier derived from sorbitol and oleic acid.
It reduces the surface tension between oil and water phases to help them stay mixed and stable in a formulation. In other words, it prevents your formulas from separating into an oily mess.
The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the scientific data and found this ingredient to be safe, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing at concentrations up to 5% (it's even approved by the FDA as an OTC eye drop ingredient).
Learn more about Polysorbate 80This ingredient is a synthetic, salt form polymer built from acrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, or their simple esters. It works as a binder, film former, and viscosity increasing agent.
Typical concentrations start at around 0.5% but can go up to 25% for film-forming or binding.
The CIR Expert Panel assessed the safety of 126 acrylates copolymers and concluded they are safe in cosmetics at current use levels when formulated to be non-irritating. They also noted the levels present in finished cosmetic products are not considered a safety risk and Genotoxicity testing (Ames tests, chromosomal aberration assays) has come back negative across the board.
Though the raw building blocks (like acrylic acid) can be irritating on their own, cosmetic-grade versions go through purification to keep levels extremely low.
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer is a large molecule that doesn't penetrate skin barrier in any meaningful way.
Learn more about Sodium Acrylates CopolymerWe don't have a description for Soy Isoflavones 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 Water
