What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glyceryl Polymethacrylate
Sodium Ethylparaben
Preservative
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMethylparaben
Preservative
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Propylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Ascorbic Acid, Niacinamide, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Sodium Ethylparaben, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Panthenol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Methylparaben, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantArbutin
Antioxidant
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Betaine
Humectant
Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTrehalose
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Triethanolamine
BufferingGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glutathione
Water, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Glycereth-26, Dipropylene Glycol, Arbutin, Biosaccharide Gum-1, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Betaine, Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Extract, Chlorphenesin, Carbomer, Trehalose, Parfum, Triethanolamine, Glycolic Acid, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glutathione
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
