What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Rugosa Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Soluble Collagen
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Menthoxypropanediol
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
PEG-30 Glyceryl Isostearate
Surfactant
PEG-50 Glyceryl Isostearate
Cleansing
Sebacic Acid
Buffering1,10-Decanediol
SolventPentasodium Pentetate
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Gluconolactone, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Rosa Rugosa Fruit Extract, 10-Hydroxydecanoic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Soluble Collagen, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Ubiquinone, Resveratrol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Menthoxypropanediol, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, PEG-30 Glyceryl Isostearate, PEG-50 Glyceryl Isostearate, Sebacic Acid, 1,10-Decanediol, Pentasodium Pentetate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
