What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningLeucojum Aestivum Bulb Extract
Skin ProtectingAcmella Oleracea Extract
Skin ProtectingHippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil
Skin Protecting
Melia Azadirachta Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ectoin, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Bisabolol, Propanediol, Citric Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Leucojum Aestivum Bulb Extract, Acmella Oleracea Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Melia Azadirachta Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Isoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Isohexadecane
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Olive Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-6 Pentaoleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPropylene Carbonate
SolventTin Oxide
Abrasive
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Squalane, Isoamyl Laurate, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Butylene Glycol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Propanediol, Isohexadecane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Olive Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Pentaoleate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Chloride, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Tin Oxide, Mica, CI 77891, 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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium 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 HyaluronateSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
