What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Oleate Citrate
Emulsifying
Buglossoides Arvensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Bellis Perennis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHieracium Pilosella Extract
MaskingMica
Cosmetic ColorantSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Matthiola Longipetala Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Buglossoides Arvensis Seed Oil, Bellis Perennis Flower Extract, Hieracium Pilosella Extract, Mica, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Panthenol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Matthiola Longipetala Seed Oil, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Isohexadecane
EmollientDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTriethanolamine
BufferingPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Silica, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol, Propylene Glycol, CI 77891, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Mica, Triethanolamine, Polysorbate 80, Caffeine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Dimethiconol, Adenosine, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sorbitan Oleate, Tin Oxide
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerDisodium 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 EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaPhenoxyethanol 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.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
