What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantAlcohol
Antimicrobial
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialSodium Chloride
MaskingSilica
Abrasive
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingPropylene Carbonate
SolventAluminum Hydroxide
EmollientCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantHexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lysine
Skin ConditioningAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Magnesium Chloride
Furcellaria Lumbricalis Extract
Skin ConditioningPancratium Maritimum Extract
BleachingLinalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningMaris Sal
Skin ConditioningWater, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, CI 77891, Alcohol, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Silica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Bisabolol, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Aluminum Hydroxide, CI 77492, CI 42090, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Phenoxyethanol, Lysine, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Magnesium Chloride, Furcellaria Lumbricalis Extract, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene, Eugenol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Lapsana Communis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Maris Sal
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Diethylhexyl Carbonate
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
BHT
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Caramel
Cosmetic ColorantDimethicone
Emollient
Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer
Disodium EDTA
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Cyclopentasiloxane, Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Acetyl Glucosamine, Diethylhexyl Carbonate, Niacinamide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Allantoin, Aluminum Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, BHT, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Caramel, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Ethylparaben, Methylparaben
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Aluminum Hydroxide is a form of aluminum. It can be naturally found in nature as the mineral gibbsite. In cosmetics, Aluminum Hydroxide is used as a colorant, pH adjuster, and absorbent.
As a colorant, Aluminum Hydroxide may add opacity, or reduce the transparency. Aluminum hydroxide is contains both basic and acidic properties.
According to manufacturers, this ingredient is an emollient and humectant. This means it helps hydrate the skin.
In medicine, this ingredient is used to help relieve heartburn and help heal ulcers.
There is currently no credible scientific evidence linking aluminum hydroxide in cosmetics to increased cancer risk.
Major health organizations allow the use of aluminum hydroxide in personal care products and have not flagged it as a carcinogenic risk at typical usage levels.
Learn more about Aluminum HydroxideCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDisodium 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 GlycerinPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone is a modified version of dimethicone with emulsifying properties. It helps add a silky and lightweight feel to products like sunscreens and foundations.
Its unique structure allows it to bridge the gap between water-loving and oil-loving ingredients. This makes it especially good at creating stable, velvety, and elegant formulations.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
