What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlucose
Humectant
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Tromethamine
BufferingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Citrate
BufferingParfum
Masking
CI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, CI 77891, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Octocrylene, Niacinamide, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Arachidyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tocopheryl Acetate, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Carbomer, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Xanthan Gum, Glucose, Cetearyl Glucoside, Tromethamine, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Citrate, Parfum, CI 77499, CI 77491, CI 77492
Avena Sativa Seed Water 77%
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
2,3-Butanediol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Squalane
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningInulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Surfactin
CleansingBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Seed Water 77%, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 2,3-Butanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Water, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Squalane, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carbomer, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Panthenol, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Sodium Surfactin, Beta-Glucan
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
Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 HydroxyacetophenoneTromethamine (aka THAM) is a synthetic amino acid that shows up in skincare as a helper ingredient.
It functions as a pH adjuster to help neutralize acidic ingredients and set a formula's pH to the right spot.
This matters a lot because a lot of actives (like vitamin C) needs a specific pH to work well and feel comfortable on skin.
Concentration use ranges from 0.1-1.0% depending on the formula.
Learn more about TromethamineWater. 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
