What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Citrate
BufferingPPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Erythritol
Humectant
Fructose
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion Stabilising
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingSaccharomyces Ferment Lysate Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract
Skin ConditioningCentaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
Astringent
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Theanine
EmollientHydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Disodium Adenosine Triphosphate
Skin ConditioningInositol
Humectant
Potentilla Erecta Root Extract
Skin ConditioningBupleurum Falcatum Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Dipropylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether, Betaine, Glycerin, Trehalose, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Sodium Citrate, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Citric Acid, Erythritol, Fructose, Xanthan Gum, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Potassium Hydroxide, Saccharomyces Ferment Lysate Filtrate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Limonene, Linalool, Theanine, Hydrolyzed Silk, Disodium Adenosine Triphosphate, Inositol, Potentilla Erecta Root Extract, Bupleurum Falcatum Root Extract, Polyquaternium-51, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Magnesium Chloride
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG/PPG-17/4 Dimethyl Ether
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
PEG-6
HumectantPEG-32
HumectantHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Lauryl Betaine
CleansingLactic Acid
Buffering
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
PEG-150
HumectantPPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingTriethanolamine
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ammonium Lactate
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Butylene Glycol, Magnesium Chloride, Glycerin, PEG/PPG-17/4 Dimethyl Ether, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-6, PEG-32, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Lauryl Betaine, Lactic Acid, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, PEG-150, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Triethanolamine, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Ammonium Lactate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
The "denat" part just means "denatured"; common denaturants include Denatonium Benzoate, t-butyl alcohol, and Diethyl Phthalate. This step makes the alcohol undrinkable (and lets brand skip taxes related to beverage alcohol).
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue to constrict pores and dry out your skin.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is this ingredient will probably not affect your skin much if it is near the end of an ingredients list.
One thing to note:
People with ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) deficiency may experience skin irritation from continued alcohol use. About 8% of the world's population have this deficiency.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has determined denatured alcohols to be safe for use in concentrations between 0.05% and 12% (depending on which denaturant is used).
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Look for formulas that contain glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol if you want to offset any drying effect.
This ingredient will trip away your skin's natural oils/lipids that help it lock in moisture. This can worsen dryness, trigger eczema flare-ups, and aggravate rosacea.
Be sure to patch test any product with this ingredient if you have dry or sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea.
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.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 GlycolCitric 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 AcidDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolDisodium 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
We don't have a description for PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24 yet.
Sodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.
Its main functions are to maintain the pH of a product and neutralize metal ions.
The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome; normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5).
Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Learn more about Sodium CitrateTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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
