What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientButylene Glycol Diisononanoate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-10 Diisostearate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-20 Hexacaprylate
SurfactantPolyglyceryl-20 Octaisononanoate
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantTridecane
PerfumingDicaprylyl Ether
EmollientLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate
EmollientDiphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin ConditioningDiglycerin
HumectantHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialRubus Ellipticus Root Extract
HumectantPhytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin
HumectantPPG-2 Arginine
HumectantStearoyl Inulin
EmollientWater
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantLactic Acid
BufferingCetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol Diisononanoate, Polyglyceryl-10 Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl-20 Hexacaprylate, Polyglyceryl-20 Octaisononanoate, Glycerin, Tridecane, Dicaprylyl Ether, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Diglycerin, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rubus Ellipticus Root Extract, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin, PPG-2 Arginine, Stearoyl Inulin, Water, Tocopherol, Lactic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantPolyglyceryl-10 Diisostearate
EmulsifyingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
PEG-75
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate
EmulsifyingYogurt
Skin ProtectingAdansonia Digitata Seed Oil
EmollientLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantSilica
AbrasiveStearic Acid
CleansingArachidyl Alcohol
EmollientCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingButylene Glycol
HumectantTocopherol
AntioxidantAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Diisostearate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, PEG-75, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Yogurt, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Silica, Stearic Acid, Arachidyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Potassium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycolCetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient ester. It comes from cetearyl alcohol and 2-ethylhexanoic acid.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient that adds a velvety feel to skin without being greasy or oily. Emollients help trap moisture into your skin, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
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 GlycerinLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil is from the seeds of the meadowfoam plant. It is a skin conditioning agent and emollient that sits on top of skin to soften and hydrate it.
Over 98% of the oil is made up of long-chain fatty acids, mostly aachidic acid (61%), docosenoic acid (~16%), and docosadienoic acid (~18%).
This combination is not really found in any other plant oil and is the reason this is one of the most stable botanical oils available.
Some studies show it to be more stable than jojoba oil, helps a product resist going rancid, and can help extend the shelf life of a formula.
It also naturally contains vitamin E and phytosterols that give it a mild antioxidant benefit.
This ingredient is typically used from around 1% to fairly high levels since it's gentle; it's well-tolerated and low on the irritation scale.
Learn more about Limnanthes Alba Seed OilPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPolyglyceryl-10 Diisostearate isn't fungal acne safe.
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