What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glycine Soja Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Calcium Pantothenate
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMannitol
Humectant
Valine
MaskingHistidine
Humectant
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Glycine Soja Extract, Sodium PCA, Proline, Carbomer, Panthenol, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Sodium Lactate, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pyridoxine Hcl, Alanine, Lysine, Xanthan Gum, Mannitol, Valine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Maltodextrin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
EmollientPEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hibiscus Sinensis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Whey Protein
Skin ConditioningOpuntia Tuna Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Narcissus Tazetta Bulb Extract
Astringent
Squalane
Emollient
Algae Extract
EmollientHypnea Musciformis Extract
Skin ProtectingPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Silybum Marianum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Gelidiella Acerosa Extract
Skin ProtectingHelianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
EmollientSodium Lactate
Buffering
Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract
Skin ConditioningSorbitol
Humectant
Propylene Glycol Dicaprate
EmollientSucrose
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Propylene Carbonate
SolventPolyethylene
Abrasive
Polysilicone-11
PEG-32
HumectantPEG-6
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Isoceteth-20
EmulsifyingIsododecane
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
BHT
Antioxidant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Hibiscus Sinensis Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Whey Protein, Opuntia Tuna Fruit Extract, Acetyl Glucosamine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Narcissus Tazetta Bulb Extract, Squalane, Algae Extract, Hypnea Musciformis Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Silybum Marianum Extract, Gelidiella Acerosa Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Sigesbeckia Orientalis Extract, Caffeine, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Sodium Lactate, Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Sucrose, Sodium PCA, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Propylene Carbonate, Polyethylene, Polysilicone-11, PEG-32, PEG-6, Disodium EDTA, Isoceteth-20, Isododecane, Citric Acid, Parfum, BHT, Sodium Citrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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 PhenoxyethanolPotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSodium Lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid, an AHA. It is a humectant and sometimes used to adjust the pH of a product.
This ingredient is part of our skin's NMF, or natural moisturizing factor. Our NMF is essential for the hydration of our top skin layers and plasticity of skin. NMF also influences our skin's natural acid mantle and pH, which protects our skin from harmful bacteria.
High percentages of Sodium Lactate can have an exfoliating effect.
Fun fact: Sodium Lactate is produced from fermented sugar.
Learn more about Sodium LactateSodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.
Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.
As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.
There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.
Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.
It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.
Learn more about Sodium PCATocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.
Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.
It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.
One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.
Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.
Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.
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.
Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.
The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.
Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
