What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingHomarine Hcl
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingErythritol
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Marrubium Vulgare Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Isohexadecane
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingRetinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Lycopene
Antioxidant
Water, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Phospholipids, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Polyacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Isohexadecane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Methicone, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Stearate, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Retinyl Palmitate, Linoleic Acid, Lycopene
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a lightweight silicone that mostly acts as an emollient and solvent in cosmetics. Its the reason your products feel silky, fast-spreading, and non-greasy.
Since D5 is volatile, it does its thing and then evaporates off the skin quickly.
The safety profile of this ingredient is reassuring; the US CIR Expert Panel concluded D5 is safe as used in cosmetics and Health Canada concluded that D5 is not harmful to human health or the environment as currently used in cosmetics
There's a study that people mention about D5 in a rat study showing tumors. This study is related to long-term inhalation of high D5 levels.
Regulatory bodies have judged this study to be not applicable in topical skincare since skin absorption of D5 is very low and we're not really inhaling huge amounts of D5.
The only restriction for this ingredient is environmental. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) restricted D5 in wash-off cosmetics at or above 0.1% due to their persistence in water.
Learn more about CyclopentasiloxaneGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidPeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
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.
Water. 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
