What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium PCA
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Manganese PCA
HumectantBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Chlamydomonas Extract
Skin ConditioningSea Water
HumectantCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract
TonicCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Propanediol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Magnesium PCA, Sodium PCA, Zinc PCA, Manganese PCA, Beta-Glucan, Chlamydomonas Extract, Sea Water, Ceramide NP, Lecithin, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Maltodextrin, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglycerin-3
Humectant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientMethyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Tromethamine
BufferingSodium Heparin
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingPantolactone
Humectant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Pantothenic Acid
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglycerin-3, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Allantoin, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Methyl Trimethicone, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Tromethamine, Sodium Heparin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Pantolactone, Zinc PCA, Pantothenic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinWater. 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 WaterZinc PCA is a clever two-in-one molecule: the zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA).
Think of it as two useful things bonded together; the PCA half is one of your skin's own natural moisturizing factors (NMF) so it helps hold water in the upper layers. On the other hand, the zinc half does the heavy lifting on oil and bacteria.
The zinc part slows down an enzyme that turns testosterone into DHT, the hormone that tells your oil glands to pump out more sebum. Less of that signal means less oil. It also gently fights acne-causing bacteria and soothes redness/irritation.
This is why Zinc PCA often shows up in products for oily, breakout-prone skin and greasy scalps.
One lab study also hinted it might have a small anti-aging perk because it seemed to protect collagen from UVA damage and even helped the skin make a bit more of it. That last bit is still early research done in a dish and not real skin, so take it as a nice bonus rather than a promise for now.
As for scar healing, the picture is more "maybe" than a firm yes. Zinc itself plays a real role in wound repair because it is a cofactor for the enzymes involved in collagen building, calming inflammation, and helping new skin cells cover a wound. Lower zinc levels are also linked to slower healing.
Most of the scar healing research is on zinc oxide or oral zinc rather than zinc PCA specifically, with a focus on healing fresh wounds instead of scars that are already there.
Direct evidence that zinc PCA improves the look of established scars is still limited at this time. Though it would be fair to say zinc PCA supports the general skin-repair environment thanks to its zinc content .
This ingredient is water-soluble and plays nicely with other actives like niacinamide and salicylic acid. It works best at mildly acidic formulas (~4-6 pH) and is effective at low levels. Around 0.1% is enough to be active and finished products commonly use it anywhere up to 4%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-drama multitasker that suits oily and acne-prone skin.
Learn more about Zinc PCA
