What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningTrisiloxane
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientPEG-3 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Sulfate
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Isostearyl Glyceryl Ether
Skin ConditioningPEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Succinic Acid
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingEucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Trisiloxane, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Polydecene, PEG-3 Dimethicone, Allantoin, Magnesium Sulfate, Butylene Glycol, Isostearyl Glyceryl Ether, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Succinic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Methylparaben
Reviews
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 GlycolThis ingredient is a synthetic mimic for ceramide NS and is often called a "pseudo-ceramide". It was developed by Kao Corporation in Japan (the same corporation that owns Biore and Curel).
Ceramides play a big role in your stratum corneum, or the outermost layer of skin. Your stratum corneum is structured like a brick wall where skin cells are bricks and ceramides are a big part of the mortar holding everything together.
Aging, harsh cleansers, environmental damage, or skin conditions can cause ceramide levels to drop. This leads to moisture loss, irritation, and dryness.
This is where this ingredient steps in: it's structurally designed with the same key features as natural ceramides. Because of this, it can slot into the lipid layers of your stratum corneum and behave just like real ceramides.
Research on patients with atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, and sensitive skin has shown that topical application of this ingredient enhances stratum corneum function.
Another four-week randomized study on lip care found formulas containing 0.5% or 2% of this ingredient improved lip dryness and roughness.
A study on hairdressers with occupational hand dermatitis found that a barrier cream containing this ingredient reduced dryness, scaling, cracking, redness, and itching.
And a more recent study confirmed that this ingredient is absorbed into the stratum corneum and reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL), just like a real ceramide.
This ingredient is more stable, free from contaminants, and significantly cheaper to produce. This makes it more practical for everyday skincare formulations.
Learn more about Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl PalmitamideDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Isostearyl Glyceryl Ether yet.
Magnesium Sulfate is a salt. More specifically, it is an epsom salt, or the bath salt used to help relieve muscle aches.
Despite having ‘sulfate’ in the name, it isn’t a surfactant or cleansing agent like sodium lauryl sulfate. Unlike those sulfates, magnesium sulfate doesn’t have the same cleansing or foaming properties (it's simply a type of salt).
In cosmetics, Magnesium Sulfate is used to thicken a product or help dilute other solids. It is a non-reactive and non-irritating ingredient.
One study shows magnesium deficiency may lead to inflammation of the skin. Applying magnesium topically may help reduce inflammation.
You can find this ingredient in sea water or mineral deposits.
Learn more about Magnesium SulfateMethylparaben is a synthetic preservative and one of the most widely used in the world. It has a simple, but important job: prevent your products from going bad by stopping bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
Typical use levels are low, often 0.1-0.3%.
This is also one of the most heavily studied preservatives out there and major regulatory bodies have repeatedly given it the green light.
In 2023, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed that this ingredient is safe up to 0.4% on its own, of up to 0.8% when mixed with other paraben esters.
Here's the science behind the noise behind parabens/hormones as well:
Methylparaben shows very weak estrogen-like activity in vitro tests (more than 1,000x weaker than your body's own estradiol). In vivo (live-organism) studies don't support a meaningful endocrine-disrupting effect either.
You get a stronger estrogenic effect from eating tofu, actually.
It's also a low sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon; they usually happen on damage or broken skin.
There is a caveat: France has proposed to formally re-examine its endocrine classification in 2025 so the regulatory conversation isn't fully closed as of yet.
But as it stands today, this ingredient is considered safe at permitted levels.
Learn more about MethylparabenPEG-12 Dimethicone is a type of water-soluble silicone. It has skin conditioning and hydrating properties.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient's stability is decreased by strong acid or alkali.
PEG-3 Dimethicone is a type of silicone.
Trisiloxane is a type of silicone.
Water. 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
