What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTrehalose
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Coffea Arabica Husk Extract
Antioxidant
Cyclodextrin
AbsorbentSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Triacetin
AntimicrobialCocos Nucifera Water
Masking
Coceth-7
EmulsifyingPPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether
EmulsifyingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Trehalose, Niacinamide, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Coffea Arabica Husk Extract, Cyclodextrin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Urea, Polyquaternium-51, Triacetin, Cocos Nucifera Water, Coceth-7, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Tromethamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantParfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Bambusa Arundinacea Juice
Abrasive
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Water
TonicYeast Extract
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Pinus Sylvestris Bud Extract
Perfuming
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAzadirachta Indica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMentha Arvensis Extract
MaskingWater, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Carbomer, Panthenol, Trehalose, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Bambusa Arundinacea Juice, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Water, Yeast Extract, Propylene Glycol, Pinus Sylvestris Bud Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Azadirachta Indica Leaf Extract, Mentha Arvensis Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Chondrus Crispus Extract comes from a red algae native to the northern Atlantic coasts of Europe and North America. It helps hydrate the skin and is rich in antioxidants.
The antioxidants in chondrus crispus include lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein has the ability to filter blue light from screens.
Other contents of chondrus crispus include polysaccharides, peptides, and amino acids. These help hydrate the skin.
What's the difference between algae and seaweed?
Algae is a broad term that includes seaweed. Not all algae is seaweed.
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the āgoodā alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene 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 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 GlycerinParfum 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 āFRAGRANCEā or āPARFUMā 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 ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Trehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.
In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.
Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.
Learn more about TrehaloseWater. 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
