What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDibutyl Adipate
EmollientButyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Polysilicone-15
UV Filter
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialEthylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
Viola Mandshurica Flower Extract
Antioxidant
Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Lepidium Meyenii Root Extract
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Fragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Berberis Vulgaris Root Extract
AntimicrobialMorus Nigra Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Dibutyl Adipate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Polysilicone-15, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Panthenol, Silica, Sorbitan Olivate, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Adenosine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Viola Mandshurica Flower Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Lepidium Meyenii Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Fragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract, Berberis Vulgaris Root Extract, Morus Nigra Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPhenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Bentonite
Absorbent
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Inulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Buddleja Officinalis Flower Extract
UV FilterCitric Acid
Buffering
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Buddleja Davidii Extract
Skin ConditioningBHT
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Glycerin, Propanediol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Bentonite, Sodium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Parfum, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Tocopherol, Buddleja Officinalis Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Buddleja Davidii Extract, BHT, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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 GlycolC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (DHHB) is a chemical UV-A absorber. It is formulated for high UVA protection (320-400 nm).
DHHB is well-liked for:
DHHB has been approved by the EU, Japan, Taiwan, and South America for use up to 10%. Unfortunately, it has not been approved for use in the US or Canada due to slow regulatory processes.
This ingredient is soluble in oils, fats, and lipids.
Learn more about Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl BenzoateGlycerin (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 Water
