What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isododecane
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Calcium Sodium Borosilicate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientSqualane
Emollient
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Opunta Dillenii Extract
Xylitol
Humectant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingPropylene Carbonate
SolventCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Magnesium Sulfate
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phosphatidylcholine
EmulsifyingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Isododecane, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Squalane, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Phytosterols, Opunta Dillenii Extract, Xylitol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glyceryl Stearate, Betaine, Magnesium Sulfate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Butylene Glycol, Phosphatidylcholine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77163, Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
