What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract
Masking
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract
Skin Protecting
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Oligopeptide-29
Antioxidant
Oligopeptide-32
Antiseborrhoeic
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pantolactone
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Betaine, Caffeine, Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Tripeptide-1, Oligopeptide-29, Oligopeptide-32, Panthenol, Pantolactone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Arachidic Acid, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Methylpropanediol
SolventHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsododecane
EmollientBetaine
Humectant
Hexanediol
SolventDimethicone
Emollient
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSoluble Collagen
Humectant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Pulsatilla Koreana Extract
Skin ConditioningZanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract
SmoothingWater, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Beeswax, Methylpropanediol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isododecane, Betaine, Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Soluble Collagen, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Allantoin, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Squalane, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Sorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer and cleaning agent. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, Sorbitan Isostearate prevents oils and water from separating.
Due to its isostearic acid base, it may not be safe for Malassezia or fungal acne.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateWater. 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
