What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Citrus Unshiu Peel Powder
MaskingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantKaolin
Abrasive
Polyquaternium-7
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Glutathione
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Limonene
Perfuming
Glycerin, Water, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sorbitan Olivate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Glycol Distearate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Powder, Dipropylene Glycol, Kaolin, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxyacetophenone, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Gluconolactone, Sodium Phytate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Panthenol, Sodium Benzoate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Niacinamide, Ascorbic Acid, Glutathione, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Tea-Cocoyl Alaninate
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingSodium Lactate
Buffering
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Phytic Acid
Glycerin
Humectant
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Tea-Cocoyl Alaninate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Lactate, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glycolic Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Salicylic Acid, Phytic Acid, Glycerin, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-4, 1,2-Hexanediol
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 GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
