What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCornus Officinalis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunella Vulgaris Extract
Antioxidant
Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCentaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
Astringent
Borago Officinalis Extract
Emollient
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Salvia Sclarea Extract
AntiseborrhoeicHyacinthus Orientalis Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Citric Acid, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Artemisia Capillaris Flower Extract, Cornus Officinalis Fruit Extract, Prunella Vulgaris Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Borago Officinalis Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Hyacinthus Orientalis Extract, Panthenol, Betaine, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Hydrolyzed Potato Starch Dodecenylsuccinate
SurfactantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLinoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Polyquaternium-10
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingSodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Potassium Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Hydrolyzed Potato Starch Dodecenylsuccinate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linoleamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Polyquaternium-10, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Potassium Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
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 AcidEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed 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 AcidHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
