What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingGlycerin
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPropanediol
SolventDimethicone
EmollientCyclodextrin
AbsorbentMethylpropanediol
SolventSodium Palmitoyl Proline
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningPolysilicone-11
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Butylene Glycol
HumectantCannabigerol
Skin ConditioningCannabidiol - Synthetically Produced
AntioxidantSodium Phytate
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPalmitoyl Hexapeptide-52
Skin ConditioningPassiflora Incarnata Extract
AstringentDecyl Glucoside
CleansingSea Water Extract
Skin ConditioningN-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate
Skin ConditioningWater, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Cyclodextrin, Methylpropanediol, Sodium Palmitoyl Proline, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Polysilicone-11, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Cannabigerol, Cannabidiol - Synthetically Produced, Sodium Phytate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-52, Passiflora Incarnata Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Sea Water Extract, N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingWater
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingSaccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Olivate
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantJojoba Oil/Macadamia Seed Oil Esters
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantCetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingBrassica Oleracea Italica Seed Oil
EmollientResveratrol
AntioxidantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantCetyl Alcohol
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningAstaxanthin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningSqualane
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHibiscus Abelmoschus Extract
MaskingJuglans Regia Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Phytate
Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract
HumectantPhytosteryl Macadamiate
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeGlycine Soja Sterols
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeTocopherol
AntioxidantDextran
Alcohol
AntimicrobialAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Water, Niacinamide, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Jojoba Oil/Macadamia Seed Oil Esters, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Olivate, Brassica Oleracea Italica Seed Oil, Resveratrol, Panthenol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Astaxanthin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, Allantoin, Squalane, Xanthan Gum, Hibiscus Abelmoschus Extract, Juglans Regia Seed Extract, Sodium Phytate, Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Phenoxyethanol, Glycine Soja Sterols, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, Dextran, Alcohol
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 GlycolCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolNiacinamide 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 NiacinamidePentylene 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
Water. 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