What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingPotassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrated Silica
Abrasive
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
CI 74260
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Potassium Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, DMDM Hydantoin, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrated Silica, Butylene Glycol, Parfum, CI 74260
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein
Skin Conditioning
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Rose Flower Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingPotassium Chloride
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Butylene Glycol, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Allantoin, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Rose Flower Oil, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Potassium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Beeswax, Ethylhexylglycerin, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Laurate, Glyceryl Caprylate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 GlycolCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineDecyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideDisodium 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Sodium 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 HyaluronateWater. 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
