What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Polyquaternium-7
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Dimethicone
Emollient
Quaternium-18
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Honey
Humectant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Lactis Proteinum
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Water, Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-7, Glycol Distearate, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Cetrimonium Chloride, Dimethicone, Quaternium-18, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, DMDM Hydantoin, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Parfum, Honey, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Lactis Proteinum, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Stearalkonium Chloride
Preservative
Isopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride
Antimicrobial
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Simethicone
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningHydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Benzyl Cinnamate
Perfuming
Water, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Parfum, Stearalkonium Chloride, Isopropyl Alcohol, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Hexyl Cinnamal, Simethicone, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydroxycitronellal, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Cinnamate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinIsopropyl Alcohol is more commonly known as rubbing alcohol. It is most commonly used as a solvent, meaning it helps other ingredients dissolve.
This ingredient is an astringent alcohol. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin as they high amounts may strip away your skin's natural oils.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Isopropyl AlcoholPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of âFRAGRANCEâ or âPARFUMâ according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
