What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Phytate
Arginine
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl 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 or alcohol, 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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
