What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Methylpropanediol
SolventSynthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Glycine Soja Germ Extract
EmollientAluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Trisodium EDTA
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Methylpropanediol, Synthetic Beeswax, Behenyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Octyldodecanol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycine Soja Germ Extract, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Dimethicone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Trisodium EDTA, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Decyl Oleate
Emollient
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Rhizobian Gum
Ribose
HumectantAdansonia Digitata Fruit Extract
EmollientHibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPullulan
Silica
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Vanillin
Masking
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Decyl Oleate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Coco-Caprylate, Hydrolyzed Rhizobian Gum, Ribose, Adansonia Digitata Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Silica, Tocopherol, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Vanillin, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Limonene
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
