What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventGlycerin
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningC12-14 Alketh-12
EmulsifyingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Zea Mays Kernel Extract
Hydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin ConditioningAsiaticoside
AntioxidantMadecassic Acid
Skin ConditioningAsiatic Acid
Skin ConditioningFructan
Skin ConditioningGlucose
HumectantWater
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingPropanediol
SolventButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantHouttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin ConditioningChondrus Crispus Extract
Skin ConditioningChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCastor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAmber Powder
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
MaskingOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil
EmollientMalus Domestica Fruit Extract
AntioxidantBetaine
HumectantDiethoxyethyl Succinate
SolventCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningGlucose
HumectantFructooligosaccharides
HumectantFructose
HumectantTromethamine
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMadecassoside
AntioxidantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningSodium Phytate
Succinic Acid
BufferingBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantArginine
MaskingBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningAmodimethicone
Tocopherol
AntioxidantEctoin
Skin ConditioningAsiaticoside
AntioxidantMadecassic Acid
Skin ConditioningAsiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning4-Terpineol
MaskingSorbitol
HumectantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Amber Powder, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Malus Domestica Fruit Extract, Betaine, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isononyl Isononanoate, Panthenol, Glucose, Fructooligosaccharides, Fructose, Tromethamine, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Madecassoside, Allantoin, Sodium Phytate, Succinic Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Arginine, Beta-Glucan, Amodimethicone, Tocopherol, Ectoin, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, 4-Terpineol, Sorbitol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum
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
Asiatic Acid is one of the four main actives found in Centella Asiatica. Its headline job is stimulating collagen.
Lab tests on human skin cells show Asiatic Acid tells your skin to make more collagen, the protein that keeps skin firm and bouncy.
It also calms inflammation and acts as an antioxidant so it can help skin heal faster, rebuild itself, and repair a damaged barrier.
And on naming, even though "acid" is in the name, it's nothing like an AHA or BHA exfoliant. It's a gentle firming and soothing ingredient that supports your skin barrier.
Concentration-wise, Asiatic Acid is potent at very low doses and usually shows up as a small fraction of a broader centella extract.
Analyses of centella material put Asiatic Acid reported in the range of 0.2-3% of the extract.
This ingredient is non-sensitizing and guinea pig sensitization testing also found it to be a weak sensitizer. That means the risk of acquiring contact sensitivty is quite low.
Allergic contact dermatitis does exist but is also very rare; documented cases tend to involve prolonged use on broken skin plus co-sensitization to fragrance ingredients.
Learn more about Asiatic AcidAsiaticoside comes from the super popular skin-soothing ingredient, Centella asiatica. It's the reason centella-based products have a strong reputation for repairing and calming skin, along with its sibling compound Madecassoside.
Research from 2016-2025 supports its role in:
You'll usually find this in concentrations between 0.2-5%.
Learn more about AsiaticosideButylene 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 GlycolDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlucose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide). In skincare, it is mostly a humectant and skin conditioning agent.
Mechanistically, it has multiple hydroxyl groups that hydrogen-bond to water. This pulls moisture into the upper layers of skin to keep the surface soft and hydrated.
It's worth knowing sugars are already a natural component of the skin's NMF (natural moisturizing factor) so it's a molecule that your stratum corneum is well-acquainted with.
Just so you know, glucose is hydrophilic (water-loving) and the stratum corneum is a strong barrier to hydrophilic compounds. This just means penetration is slow and most of the action is happening on the surface.
Gram-to-gram, glucose is not as efficient as a humectant as glycerin. This is why you'll likely see glycose paired with stronger humectants for a bigger hydration payoff.
In skincare, glucose is typically derived from corn or other starch sources.
Learn more about GlucoseGlycerin (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 GlycerinMadecassic Acid is one of the four star actives in Centella Asiatica. In skincare, it earns its keep as a calming and repairing ingredient.
It works through the same core pathways as the rest of the centella family.
First, it turns down inflammation so it helps with things like redness and general upset skin.
Second, it acts as an antioxidant which means it helps protect skin from daily stress and damage.
And third, it nudges the skin to make more collagen and rebuild its support structure.
That combination is why the whole Centella family is known for calming skin, strengthening the barrier, fading redness, and giving anti-aging benefits.
It's worth being honest about the evidence here; a lot of the strongest data is on the full extract or a Madecassoside/Asiaticoside rather than Madecassic Acid alone. Reviewers also note more long-term clinical trials are needed to confirm the full potential.
Concentration-wise, this ingredient is rarely used pure and usually shows up as part of a standardized centella extract where reported content ranges from 0.02-3.06%.
Finished products typically run somewhere in the 0.1-10% range depending on the format.
In real-world tolerance tests, a repeat-insult patch test on an eye lotion with 0.2% Centella extract showed no irritation or allergic contact dermatitis in 54 subjects. And a mascara with 0.5% Madecassoside caused neither irritation nor sensitization in 109 subjects.
Allergy risk is very low, but not zero. Centella and its constituents are classified as weak contact sensitizers and some rare cases of allergic contact dermatitis exist.
Learn more about Madecassic AcidPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolWater. 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