What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Sucrose
Humectant
Laminaria Saccharina Extract
Skin ProtectingCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water
MaskingHordeum Vulgare Extract
EmollientCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Isohexadecane
EmollientLecithin
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol Dicaprate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seedcake
Abrasive
Trehalose
Humectant
Isostearic Acid
Cleansing
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyethylene
Abrasive
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSilica
Abrasive
Disodium EDTA
Tetrasodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Caprylyl Methicone, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Behenyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Sucrose, Laminaria Saccharina Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Caffeine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Isohexadecane, Lecithin, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Helianthus Annuus Seedcake, Trehalose, Isostearic Acid, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polysorbate 80, Dimethicone, Xanthan Gum, Polyethylene, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Silica, Disodium EDTA, Tetrasodium EDTA, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLecithin
Emollient
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-47
Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPodocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPistacia Lentiscus Gum
MaskingPsidium Guajava Leaf Extract
AstringentSaccharomyces Lysate Extract
Humectant
Sodium Carrageenan
Emulsion StabilisingTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Maris Sal
Skin ConditioningMicrocrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentSphingomonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientSodium Polyglutamate
HumectantSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lecithin, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-47, Pleiogynium Timoriense Fruit Extract, Podocarpus Elatus Fruit Extract, Pistacia Lentiscus Gum, Psidium Guajava Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Sodium Carrageenan, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Maris Sal, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Cellulose Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate, Sodium Polyglutamate, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid
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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Learn more about LecithinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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
