What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Gentiana Lutea Extract
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Triethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMethylparaben
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Gentiana Lutea Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Disodium EDTA, T-Butyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract
AstringentParfum
Masking
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTetrasodium EDTA
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingAcer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningPanax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Morus Alba Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Polysorbate 20, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Parfum, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Propylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Dipropylene Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Potassium Hydroxide, Acer Saccharum Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Morus Alba Leaf Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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.Ascorbyl Glucoside is a stable form of Vitamin C. It is created by combining glucose from starch.
When applied to skin, Ascorbyl Glucoside turns into Ascorbic Acid.
Ascorbyl Glucoside is an antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may damage skin cells.
It can help to reduce redness, improve skin texture, reduce the effects of aging, reduce the visibility of dark spots, and brighten skin.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Learn more about Ascorbyl GlucosideButylene 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 GlycolCitrus Limon Fruit Extract comes from lemons. While lemon extract is exfoliating and antimicrobial, it can also cause skin sensitivity.
Lemons contains antioxidants, which may help with anti-aging. They are also rich in citric acid, an AHA.
And of course, lemons are rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps with skin-brightening and increasing collagen production.
The acidity of lemons may work as an astringent for acne.
However, lemons can also cause skin sensitivity due to its limonene content. It can also increase photosensitivity, or sensitivity to the sun.
This ingredient is also used to add a lemon scent to products.
Learn more about Citrus Limon Fruit ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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
