What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Methylparaben
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingIsohexadecane
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Linalool
Perfuming
Amyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Denatonium Benzoate
Masking
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
BHT
Antioxidant
Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Palmitic Acid, Petrolatum, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-100 Stearate, Carbomer, Parfum, Methylparaben, Allantoin, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dimethicone, Alpha-Arbutin, Sodium Hydroxide, Isohexadecane, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 80, Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sorbitan Oleate, Hydroxycitronellal, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Denatonium Benzoate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Tocopherol, BHT
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Erythritol
Humectant
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPolyacrylamide
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Fruit Extract
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingLinalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Chlorphenesin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Erythritol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Dipropylene Glycol, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Fruit Extract, Laureth-7, Linalool, Limonene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene 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 GlycerinLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum 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 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.
Sodium 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 HyaluronateSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
