What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Melatonin
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Propylene Glycol, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Methyl Gluceth-20, Niacinamide, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Allantoin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Melatonin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Squalane
Emollient
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Water, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Squalane, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbic Acid, Methylisothiazolinone, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycolWater. 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
