What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Larix Europaea Wood Extract
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Glycine
Buffering
Sodium Nitrate
SoothingZinc Chloride
AntimicrobialGlyoxal
Antimicrobial
Tromethamine
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Metabisulfite, Glycine, Sodium Nitrate, Zinc Chloride, Glyoxal, Tromethamine, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydrolyzed Lupine Protein
Skin ConditioningRicinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCopper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicHexapeptide-2
Bleaching
Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17
Skin Conditioning
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
CI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Niacinamide, Alcohol Denat., PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Copper Tripeptide-1, Glycerin, Biotin, Hexapeptide-2, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, CI 16035
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolThis ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.
The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.
In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:
Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.
Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.
Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed OilWater. 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
