What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Quaternium-60
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingC12-14 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Bifida Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Lactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Quaternium-60, 1,2-Hexanediol, Carbomer, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, C12-14 Pareth-12, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Gluconolactone, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Limonene
Algae Extract
EmollientButane
Propane
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCarrageenan
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Quaternium-60
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Oyster Extract
Porphyra Tenera Extract
Skin ConditioningHizikia Fusiforme Extract
Skin ConditioningSargassum Fulvellum Extract
Skin ConditioningCapsosiphon Fulvescens Extract
Skin ConditioningLecithin
Emollient
Cholesterol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Fucoxanthin
Skin ConditioningBHT
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Gelidium Cartilagineum Extract
Skin ProtectingUndaria Pinnatifida Extract
Skin ConditioningSpirulina Platensis Extract
Skin ProtectingEnteromorpha Compressa Extract
Skin ProtectingLaminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningGardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTheobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningCharcoal Powder
Abrasive
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Chloride
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Algae Extract, Butane, Propane, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Carbomer, Carrageenan, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Potassium Cocoate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Quaternium-60, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Oyster Extract, Porphyra Tenera Extract, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract, Sargassum Fulvellum Extract, Capsosiphon Fulvescens Extract, Lecithin, Cholesterol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fucoxanthin, BHT, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Gelidium Cartilagineum Extract, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Enteromorpha Compressa Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Charcoal Powder, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol, Water, Potassium Chloride, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
The "denat" part just means "denatured"; common denaturants include Denatonium Benzoate, t-butyl alcohol, and Diethyl Phthalate. This step makes the alcohol undrinkable (and lets brand skip taxes related to beverage alcohol).
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue to constrict pores and dry out your skin.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is this ingredient will probably not affect your skin much if it is near the end of an ingredients list.
One thing to note:
People with ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) deficiency may experience skin irritation from continued alcohol use. About 8% of the world's population have this deficiency.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has determined denatured alcohols to be safe for use in concentrations between 0.05% and 12% (depending on which denaturant is used).
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Look for formulas that contain glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol if you want to offset any drying effect.
This ingredient will trip away your skin's natural oils/lipids that help it lock in moisture. This can worsen dryness, trigger eczema flare-ups, and aggravate rosacea.
Be sure to patch test any product with this ingredient if you have dry or sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea.
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.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 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 GlycerinPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWe don't have a description for Quaternium-60 yet.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
