What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine Phosphate
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
EDTA
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Rosa Alba Flower Extract
Emollient
Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Soluble Proteoglycan
Skin ConditioningSh-Barley Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carboxymethyl Chitin
Gel FormingParachlorella Kessleri Exopolysaccharides
HumectantWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Pentylene Glycol, Adenosine Phosphate, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, EDTA, Panthenol, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Rosa Alba Flower Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Soluble Proteoglycan, Sh-Barley Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carboxymethyl Chitin, Parachlorella Kessleri Exopolysaccharides
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG-400
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitol
Humectant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Acrylate/Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Dimethylacrylamide Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingZizyphus Jujuba Fruit Extract
Camellia Seed Oil
Sodium Chloride
MaskingRosa Canina Fruit Extract
Astringent
Averrhoa Carambola Leaf Extract
HumectantSaxifraga Sarmentosa Extract
Skin ConditioningRubus Idaeus Extract
Skin ProtectingSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Sericin
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Artemisia Vulgaris Extract
Skin Conditioning
Honey Extract
Humectant
Aspergillus/Camellia Japonica Seed Ferment Extract Filtrate
Skin ConditioningSoluble Collagen
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Citrate
BufferingSimethicone
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Laurtrimonium Chloride
Emulsifying
Hypericum Erectum Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
HumectantPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-400, Sorbitol, Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Acrylate/Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Dimethylacrylamide Crosspolymer, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Zizyphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Camellia Seed Oil, Sodium Chloride, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Averrhoa Carambola Leaf Extract, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Rubus Idaeus Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Sericin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Honey Extract, Aspergillus/Camellia Japonica Seed Ferment Extract Filtrate, Soluble Collagen, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Citrate, Simethicone, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Laurtrimonium Chloride, Hypericum Erectum Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is a semi-synthetic polymer created from cellulose. In case you need a refresher, cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls.
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose has many uses:
- emulsifier
- create a gel-like texture
- boost foam
Phenoxyethanol 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
