What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
CleansingGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientSorbitol
HumectantIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingPalmitoyl Oligopeptide
CleansingPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingBeeswax
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Alcohol
EmollientPhospholipids
Skin ConditioningAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
EmollientRosa Centifolia Flower
MaskingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningRetinol
Skin ConditioningLecithin
EmollientRetinyl Palmitate
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCI 75470
Cosmetic ColorantCapsicum Annuum Fruit Extract
AntimicrobialSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Stearic Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Sorbitol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Beeswax, Cetyl Alcohol, Phospholipids, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Rosa Centifolia Flower, Allantoin, Retinol, Lecithin, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, CI 75470, Capsicum Annuum Fruit Extract, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingDimethicone
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientSqualane
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
AntioxidantVitis Vinifera Seed Extract
AntimicrobialTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPalmitoyl Oligopeptide
CleansingPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeMethylparaben
PreservativeChloroxylenol
AntimicrobialPhospholipids
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingSorbic Acid
PreservativeLonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
PerfumingWater, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Squalane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Chloroxylenol, Phospholipids, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Sorbic Acid, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
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 GlycolCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinPalmitoyl Oligopeptide is a form of peptide. It is created by blending peptides with palmitic acid. Peptides are building blocks for protein.
This ingredients tells our body to create more collagen. Collagen is a protein that makes connective tissue. Boosting collagen production leads to a healthier skin barrier. Having a healthy skin barrier means having firm and hydrated skin.
Read more about other common types of peptides here:
Learn more about Palmitoyl OligopeptidePalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".
"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.
This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.
Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:
Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.
A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
Phenoxyethanol 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.
Phospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.
In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).
Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.
They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.
Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.
Some types of phospholipids include:
Learn more about PhospholipidsPolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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