What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantLauric Acid
CleansingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingPropylene Glycol
HumectantPalmitic Acid
EmollientPotassium Laureth Phosphate
EmulsifyingCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingGlycol Distearate
EmollientAcrylates Copolymer
Cetyl Dimethicone
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Chloride
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
MaskingNiacinamide
SmoothingSalicylic Acid
MaskingHyaluronic Acid
HumectantWater, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Potassium Laureth Phosphate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycol Distearate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cetyl Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingHydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingTranexamic Acid
Astringent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningPolygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
AntioxidantScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
AstringentPropylene Glycol
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
BleachingGlutathione
Salix Alba Bark Extract
AstringentChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
CleansingCholesterol
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCitrus Reticulata Peel Extract
Skin ConditioningChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Tranexamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Allantoin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Propylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Glutathione, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Cholesterol, Ceramide NP, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Reticulata Peel Extract, Chlorphenesin
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 GlycerinHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseNiacinamide 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 NiacinamidePhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Propylene 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 GlycolStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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