What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantDiglycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Eicosanedioate/Tetradecanedioate
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Hydroxypropyl Ethylhexyl Ether
CleansingDisodium Lauroyl Glutamate
CleansingPolyglyceryl-3 Decyltetradecyl Ether
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingC4-18 Alkyl Methacrylate/Methacryloyloxyethyl Phosphorylcholine Copolymer
HumectantStyrene/Vp Copolymer
Sodium Malate
HumectantSorbic Acid
Preservative
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Methylparaben
Preservative
O-Cymen-5-Ol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Diglycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Eicosanedioate/Tetradecanedioate, Polyglyceryl-3 Hydroxypropyl Ethylhexyl Ether, Disodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Polyglyceryl-3 Decyltetradecyl Ether, Xanthan Gum, C4-18 Alkyl Methacrylate/Methacryloyloxyethyl Phosphorylcholine Copolymer, Styrene/Vp Copolymer, Sodium Malate, Sorbic Acid, Alcohol Denat., Methylparaben
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Diglycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol Butyl Ether
HumectantMilk Ferment
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Extract
Skin ConditioningPotassium Ascorbyl Tocopheryl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Acrylic Acid
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer
Diethylenetriamine Pentamethylene Phosphonic Acid
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Trimethylpyrazine
Perfuming
Methyl/Phenyl Polysilsesquioxane
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Isostearate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingHydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Paraben
Preservative
Arbutin, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Squalane, Diglycerin, Propylene Glycol Butyl Ether, Milk Ferment, Glycine Soja Extract, Potassium Ascorbyl Tocopheryl Phosphate, Acrylic Acid, Alcohol Denat., Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Diethylenetriamine Pentamethylene Phosphonic Acid, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Trimethylpyrazine, Methyl/Phenyl Polysilsesquioxane, Glycol Stearate, Polysorbate 20, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Isostearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Paraben
Reviews
Alternatives
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 GlycolDiglycerin is a humectant. It is derived from glycerin, which is naturally found in your skin.
As a humectant, it helps draw moisture to the skin from the air.
Glycerin (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 Glycerin
