What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Vinyldimethicone
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propolis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tromethamine
BufferingDimethiconol
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSucrose Stearate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Polyacrylate Starch
AbsorbentStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Glycosphingolipids
EmollientHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Water, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Vinyldimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Arachidyl Alcohol, Propolis Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Tromethamine, Dimethiconol, Caprylyl Glycol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ceramide NP, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sucrose Stearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Hyaluronic Acid, Glycosphingolipids, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingSqualane
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingArginine
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Aphanothece Sacrum Exopolysaccharides
AbsorbentSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Triethylhexanoin, Squalane, Palmitic Acid, Cetyl Phosphate, Arginine, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Aphanothece Sacrum Exopolysaccharides, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol
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 GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources.
In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
