What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPhosphatidylcholine
EmulsifyingBetaine
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tephrosia Purpurea Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Ergothioneine
Antioxidant
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialAscorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Phosphatidylcholine, Betaine, Lactobacillus Ferment, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tephrosia Purpurea Seed Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Resveratrol, Ergothioneine, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Tocopherol, Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Sodium Gluconate, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Anisate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-7 Triacetate
EmollientShea Butter Ethyl Esters
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantLactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Whey Protein
Skin ConditioningChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Dimer Tripeptide-43
Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract
MaskingPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingPolyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Pullulan
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Pentylene Glycol, Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media, Glycereth-7 Triacetate, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Whey Protein, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Dimer Tripeptide-43, Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Sclerotium Gum, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Lecithin, Pullulan, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPropanediol 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 PropanediolPyrus Malus Fruit Extract is extract from Apples. Apples are rich in Vitamin C, sugars, and antioxidants.
The sugar in Apples are humectants and help hydrate the skin. On top of that, apples also contain some acids, such as malic acid. These acids may have a mild exfoliating effect.
Last, the phytochemicals found in apples are strong antioxidants. These antioxidants help with anti-aging as they protect your skin cells against oxidative damage.
Learn more about Pyrus Malus Fruit ExtractSclerotium Gum is a natural sugar-based fiber made by fermenting a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It's often used as the plant-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners like carbomer.
In skincare, it works as a thickener, gel former, and stabilizer that keeps heavy ingredients suspended so a product does not separate.
It is non-ionic and forms a triple helix in solution. This is just a fancy way of saying it builds a smooth, cushiony, and non-sticky gel that feels silkier than many other gums.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it is very sturdy and holds up across a wide pH range (~2-11). It's also good at resisting heat and hydrolysis.
Since it holds water at the skin surface, it can provide some light hydration as well.
Typical use levels are around 0.25-2%; formulators usually use 0.2-0.5% to thicken lotions and up to 2% for a firmer gel base.
This ingredient has been found safe in cosmetics with no meaningful evidence of skin sensitization.
Learn more about Sclerotium GumWater. 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
