What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientPassiflora Incarnata Seed Oil
Skin Protecting
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Silybum Marianum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Porphyra Umbilicalis Extract
Skin ConditioningCommiphora Mukul Resin Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Multiflora Fruit Extract
MaskingNannochloropsis Oculata Extract
HumectantDimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingNylon-12
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantParfum
Masking
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Citrate
BufferingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Linalool
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Passiflora Incarnata Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Silybum Marianum Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Porphyra Umbilicalis Extract, Commiphora Mukul Resin Extract, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Nylon-12, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Dipropylene Glycol, Parfum, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Chlorphenesin, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Limonene, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propanediol
Solvent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tromethamine
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Tromethamine, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Polysorbate 20
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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
