What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSea Water
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Tripropylene Glycol
Antioxidant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Xylitol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate
Emulsifying
Gellan Gum
Sodium Dna
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Malachite Extract
Antioxidant
Arginine
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMethyl Diisopropyl Propionamide
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Water, Sea Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tripropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, Beta-Glucan, Xylitol, Propanediol, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyacetophenone, Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate, Gellan Gum, Sodium Dna, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Malachite Extract, Arginine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, Disodium EDTA
Hippophae Rhamnoides Water
Masking
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glycereth-26
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSqualane
Emollient
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Gellan Gum
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil
Skin Protecting
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Zea Mays Kernel Extract
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Fructan
Skin ConditioningKojic Acid
Antioxidant
Glucose
Humectant
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Limonene
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Hippophae Rhamnoides Water, Isopropyl Myristate, Butylene Glycol, Water, Niacinamide, Glycereth-26, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Squalane, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Propanediol, Gellan Gum, Panthenol, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Zea Mays Kernel Extract, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopherol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Fructan, Kojic Acid, Glucose, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Ferulic Acid, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Ascorbic Acid, Limonene, Citral
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
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 GlycolDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGellan Gum is a high-molecular weight heteropolysaccharide gum. It is created by the process of pure-culture fermentation with the bacterium Pseudomonas elodea.
Gellan Gum is used to stabilize products. This helps improve the texture, consistency, and shelf life.
Glycereth-26 is a synthetic ingredient and polyethylene glycol ether of Glycerin. Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin and helps keep your skin moisturized.
It is a humectant and helps add texture to products. It can make your product thicker.
As a humectant, it helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps your skin stay hydrated.
Learn more about Glycereth-26Glycerin (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 GlycerinHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidHydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.
Though naturally occuring in Norwegian spruce needles, this ingredient is usually synthetically created.
This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing. Recent research also suggests it may have skin-brightening effects through tyrosinase inhibition.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenonePropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
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 PropanediolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
