What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingLimonene
Perfuming
Mannose
HumectantP-Anisic Acid
Masking
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPrunus Yedoensis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPvm/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Water, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Limonene, Mannose, P-Anisic Acid, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide, Prunus Yedoensis Leaf Extract, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Mel Extract
MoisturisingSorbitol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPropanediol
Solvent
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Mel Extract, Sorbitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Propanediol, Citric Acid, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
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 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.
Propylene 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 GlycolSodium 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
