What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Water
MaskingWater
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Pueraria Lobata Root Extract
HumectantMimosa Tenuiflora Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Biosaccharide Gum-2
Skin ConditioningMilk Protein
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Lactose
HumectantLactic Acid
Buffering
Vaccinium Oxycoccos Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Caffeyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dextran
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Skin Conditioning
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Water, Water, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Mimosa Tenuiflora Bark Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Biosaccharide Gum-2, Milk Protein, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lactose, Lactic Acid, Vaccinium Oxycoccos Fruit Extract, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Caffeyl Glucoside, Sorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Dextran, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
HumectantTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPantolactone
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
Masking
Geranyl Acetate
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Xylitylglucoside, Panthenol, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Pantolactone, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes, Geranyl Acetate, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is created from dehydrating xylitol in acidic conditions. Xylitol is a famous sugar and humectant.
Much like its predecessor, anhydroxylitol is a humectant. Humectants attract and hold water to moisturize the skin.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol (24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
This ingredient is often derived from plants such as wood and sugarcane.
Learn more about AnhydroxylitolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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 XylitolXylitylglucoside is created from xylitol and glucose, two humectants.
Not surprisingly, this ingredient is also a humectant. It attracts and holds water in your skin, helping to maintain hydration.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol(24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
Learn more about Xylitylglucoside
