What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Extract
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Propanediol
Solvent
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSalicylic Acid
Masking
Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Emulsifying
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Passiflora Quadrangularis Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingCitrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract
EmollientAnanas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningVitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Flower Oil
Masking
Triethanolamine
BufferingWater, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polysorbate 20, Propanediol, Ethoxydiglycol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Salicylic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Alcohol Denat., Passiflora Quadrangularis Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Extract, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Oil, Triethanolamine
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantNiacinamide
Smoothing
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingResveratrol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Epigallocatechin Gallate
Antioxidant
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Genistein
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Niacinamide, Acetyl Glucosamine, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Resveratrol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Phospholipids, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Carnosine, Genistein, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Adenosine, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethoxydiglycol (aka Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether) is one of the cosmetic world's quiet problem solvers.
In a formula, it is a solvent that dissolves tricky ingredients that don't want to mix in and helps spread ingredients evenly across your skin without leaving a greasy or sticky feeling
This makes it great for hard-to-dissolve actives like vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, and self-tanner DHA.
It also has mild humectant and penetration enhancer abilities so it can help some actives absorb a little deeper.
The penetration boost is backed by lab research: studies using human skin samples found it improved how well an active dissolves into the upper layer of skin rather than tearing down your skin barrier. Reviews of its mechanism also describe it interacting gently with the lipids and water in your outermost layer of skin.
Just know this penetration-enhancing effect is not universal. It helps a lot in some formulas and did very little in others (so the benefit really depends on the specific product).
Safety-wise, the evidence is reassuring. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel reviewed it and concluded it's safe for use in cosmetics and recognized it as non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-comedogenic in skincare.
Typical leave-on skincare usage lands around 1-10%. The EU has sets caps of 2.6% in non-spray products, 10% in rinse-offs, 7% in oxidative hair dye, and 5% in non-oxidative hair dye.
Learn more about EthoxydiglycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 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 20Water. 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
