What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Benzophenone-3
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSqualane
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
CI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantIsopropyl Titanium Triisostearate
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Benzophenone-3, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Phospholipids, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Polysorbate 60, Glycerin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, CI 77499, CI 77491, CI 77492, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Allantoin
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Diglycerin
Humectant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantMarrubium Vulgare Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Prunus Domestica
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract
Skin ConditioningGinkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Yedoensis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract
MaskingBetula Alba Bark Extract
Masking
Chondrus Elatus/Saccharina Angustata/Monostroma Nitidum Thallus Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Prunus Persica Leaf Extract
Emollient
Royal Jelly Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSoluble Collagen
Humectant
Vaccinium Myrtillus Leaf Extract
AstringentCynara Scolymus Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventButylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Diglycerin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Arbutin, Ceramide NP, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica, Hydrolyzed Silk, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Prunus Yedoensis Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Chondrus Elatus/Saccharina Angustata/Monostroma Nitidum Thallus Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Prunus Persica Leaf Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Soluble Collagen, Vaccinium Myrtillus Leaf Extract, Cynara Scolymus Leaf Extract, Squalane, C13-15 Alkane
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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 GlycerinSodium 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 HyaluronateSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about Squalane
