What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Steareth-100
Gel FormingArginine
Masking
Cellulose
Absorbent
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Magnesium Silicate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Hexamidine Diisethionate
Emollient
Macadamia Integrifolia/Tetraphylla Seed Oil
Emollient
Trihydroxystearin
Skin Conditioning
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Potassium Chloride
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPEG-8
HumectantSphingomonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone
Skin ConditioningDimethyl Isosorbide
SolventChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Water, Niacinamide, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coconut Alkanes, Pentylene Glycol, Silica, Steareth-100, Arginine, Cellulose, Glycolic Acid, Coco-Caprylate, Steareth-2, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Citric Acid, Parfum, Hexamidine Diisethionate, Macadamia Integrifolia/Tetraphylla Seed Oil, Trihydroxystearin, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, PEG-8, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Tocopherol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Ascorbic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Dimethicone
Emollient
PPG-17-Buteth-17
Skin ConditioningTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Disodium Succinate
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Agar
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Succinic Acid
BufferingSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Dextrin
AbsorbentGlucosyl Ceramide
Skin Conditioning
Aphanothece Sacrum Exopolysaccharides
AbsorbentHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer
Water, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Squalane, Triethylhexanoin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Dimethicone, PPG-17-Buteth-17, Triethyl Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Disodium Succinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Agar, Disodium EDTA, Succinic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Arginine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Dextrin, Glucosyl Ceramide, Aphanothece Sacrum Exopolysaccharides, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineButylene 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 GlycolPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
