What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
PEG-30 Stearate
Emulsifying
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Pantolactone
Humectant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, PEG-30 Stearate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pantolactone, Dimethiconol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cellulose
Absorbent
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Sodium Polyacrylate Starch
AbsorbentPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXylitol
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Tartaric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glucose
Humectant
Tamarindus Indica Extract
SmoothingMarrubium Vulgare Extract
Skin ConditioningPEG-8 Methyl Ether Dimethicone
Cleansing
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Malpighia Emarginata Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningFurcellaria Lumbricalis Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract
MaskingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningMaris Sal
Skin ConditioningCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Cellulose, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Propylene Glycol, Boron Nitride, Xylitylglucoside, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Anhydroxylitol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitol, Bisabolol, Disodium EDTA, Tartaric Acid, Tocopherol, Glucose, Tamarindus Indica Extract, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, PEG-8 Methyl Ether Dimethicone, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Malpighia Emarginata Seed Extract, Furcellaria Lumbricalis Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid, Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Maris Sal, CI 14700
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
