What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Ceteth-10
EmulsifyingSteareth-20
CleansingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPolyaminopropyl Biguanide
Preservative
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pantolactone
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyisobutene
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xylitol
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Anhydroxylitol, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Carbomer, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, Pantolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Polyisobutene, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Oleate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xylitol, Xylitylglucoside
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
