What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningOctocrylene
UV AbsorberEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV AbsorberEthylhexyl Palmitate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV AbsorberGlycerin
HumectantSorbitan Stearate
EmulsifyingSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentPentaerythrityl Distearate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingBenzoic Acid
MaskingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
AntioxidantGlucomannan
Skin ConditioningParfum
MaskingDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeCitric Acid
BufferingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Glycerin, Sorbitan Stearate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Benzoic Acid, Carbomer, Tocopherol, Glucomannan, Parfum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantSorbitan Stearate
EmulsifyingSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentPentaerythrityl Distearate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingBenzoic Acid
MaskingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeAmorphophallus Konjac Root Extract
HumectantAdansonia Digitata Seed Oil
EmollientSodium Hydroxide
BufferingAvena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin ConditioningTriticum Vulgare Germ Oil
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningEpilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Metabisulfite
AntioxidantTocopherol
AntioxidantWater, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Sorbitan Stearate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Benzoic Acid, Carbomer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Amorphophallus Konjac Root Extract, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzoic Acid is used to preserve and adjust the pH of products.
The antimicrobial property of Benzoic Acid helps elongate a product's shelf life. Its main role is to reduce fungi growth and is not found to be effective at fighting bacteria. Therefore Benzoic Acid is always added along with other preservatives.
In its pure form, Benzoic Acid looks like a white crystalline solid. It has slight solubility in water.
The name of Benzoic Acid comes from gum benzoin, which used to be the sole source of deriving this ingredient. Benzoic Acid is the most simple aromatic carboxylic acid.
Benzoic Acid is naturally occuring in strawberries, mustard, cinnamon, and cloves. It has a slight scent but is not considered to be a fragrance.
Learn more about Benzoic AcidThis ingredient is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCarbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create a gel consistency.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Dehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
Ethylhexyl Palmitate, also known as octyl palmitate, is created from 2-ethylhexyl alcohol and palmitic acid. It is a fatty acid ester.
The fatty acid content of Ethylhexyl Palmitate makes it an emollient. Emollients help soften and hydrate your skin by trapping moisture within.
Ethylhexyl Palmitate is also used to help improve the texture of cosmetics. It helps other ingredient dissolve in products and help disperse ingredients more evenly.
You'll likely find this ingredient in sunscreen, as it is often used to mix UV-blocking ingredients such as avobenzone and ethylhexyl triazone.
It can also help stabilize the fragrances in a product as a fragrance fixative.
Ethylhexyl Palmitate can be used to substitute mineral oil.
Due to its high fatty acid content, it may not be fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Ethylhexyl PalmitateGlycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPentaerythrityl Distearate isn't fungal acne safe.
Phenoxyethanol 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 Polyacrylate is the sodium salt of polyacrylic acid. It is used as an absorber, emollient, and stabilizer.
This ingredient is a super-absorbent polymer - meaning it can absorb 100 to 1000 times its mass in water. As an emollient, Sodium Polyacrylate helps soften and soothe skin. Emollients work by creating a barrier to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate is an emulsifier and helps condition the skin. It is amino acid-based.
In higher amounts, it may act as a cleansing agent.
Sorbitan Stearate comes from sorbitol and stearic acid. Sorbitol is a type of sugar and stearic acid is a fatty acid.
It is used as an emulsifier and helps ingredients stay together by creating water-in-oil emulsions.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water