What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV AbsorberButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV AbsorberBenzophenone-3
UV AbsorberPhospholipids
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeNiacinamide
SmoothingGlycerin
HumectantBetaine
HumectantAmps/Hema Crosspolymer
C13-15 Alkane
SolventCoco-Glucoside
CleansingKojic Dipalmitate
EmollientDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPetrolatum
EmollientCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingTocopherol
AntioxidantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientMenthol
MaskingWater, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Benzophenone-3, Phospholipids, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Betaine, Amps/Hema Crosspolymer, C13-15 Alkane, Coco-Glucoside, Kojic Dipalmitate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Panthenol, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Menthol
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV FilterEthylhexyl Triazone
UV AbsorberBis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventPhospholipids
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantNiacinamide
SmoothingPortulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin ConditioningPolypodium Polypodioides Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantUrea
BufferingAlpha-Arbutin
AntioxidantAminopropyl Kojyl Phosphate
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPotassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningSodium Retinoyl Hyaluronate
Zinc Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate
HumectantAscorbylpropyl Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate
HumectantAscorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningDimethylsilanol Hyaluronate
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Benzoate
MaskingMethyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Potassium Sorbate
PreservativeTetrahydrodiferuloylmethane
AntioxidantAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlabridin
Bleaching4-Butylresorcinol
AntioxidantSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Propanediol, Phospholipids, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Niacinamide, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Polypodium Polypodioides Extract, Glycerin, Urea, Alpha-Arbutin, Aminopropyl Kojyl Phosphate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Retinoyl Hyaluronate, Zinc Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate, Ascorbylpropyl Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glabridin, 4-Butylresorcinol, Sodium Gluconate
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 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 GlycerinNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamidePhenoxyethanol 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.
Phospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.
In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).
Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.
They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.
Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe since phospholipids contain fatty acid chains in the C11-24 range that the malassezia yeast likes to feed on.
Some types of phospholipids include:
Learn more about PhospholipidsWater. 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