What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV AbsorberEthylhexyl Salicylate
UV AbsorberOctocrylene
UV AbsorberAllantoin
Skin ConditioningAluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
AbsorbentCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDiisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientDimethiconol
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Glycerin
HumectantGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin ConditioningHydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePolymethyl Methacrylate
Polysorbate 61
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSilica
AbrasiveSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSucrose Tristearate
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantTriethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingZinc Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Octocrylene, Allantoin, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polysorbate 61, Potassium Sorbate, Silica, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sucrose Tristearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Gluconate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingGluconolactone
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingNiacinamide
SmoothingSodium Citrate
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPropanediol
SolventSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Cocoyl Alaninate
SurfactantZinc Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientGlycolic Acid
BufferingMandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl 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 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 GlycerinWater. 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 GumZinc gluconate has antibacterial and wound healing properties. It is particularly effective against fighting inflammatory acne.
This ingredient is the zinc salt of the PHA gluconic acid. PHAs are gentle cousins to AHAs.