What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingArginine
Masking
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Amylopectin
PCA
Humectant
Dextrin
AbsorbentAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carrageenan
Valine
MaskingArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycolic Acid, Gluconolactone, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Xanthan Gum, Arginine, Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Aspartic Acid, Amylopectin, PCA, Dextrin, Allantoin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Ceramide NP, Chlorphenesin, Arachidyl Alcohol, Glycine, Alanine, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Phytosterols, Serine, Stearic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Carrageenan, Valine, Arachidyl Glucoside, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Cyanocobalamin, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 GlycolChlorphenesin is a synthetic preservative. It helps protect a product against bacteria in order to extend shelf life. In most cases, Chlorphenesin is paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol.
Chlorphenesin is a biocide. This means it is able to help fight the microorganisms on our skin. It is also able to fight odor-releasing bacteria.
Chlorphenesin is soluble in both water and glycerin.
Studies show Chlorphenesin is easily absorbed by our skin. You should speak with a skincare professional if you have concerns about using Chlorphenesin.
Learn more about ChlorphenesinGlycerin (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 one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
