What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPhytic Acid
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Pullulan
Agastache Mexicana Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningSilica
Abrasive
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Mandelic Acid, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Propanediol, Potassium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Panthenol, Sodium Phytate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sclerotium Gum, Phytic Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Pullulan, Agastache Mexicana Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Silica, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningAcetamidoethoxyethanol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Methylpropanediol
SolventBetaine
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Water, Acetamidoethoxyethanol, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Pentylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, Betaine, Panthenol, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Lecithin, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Triethyl Citrate, Lactic 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.
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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Learn more about LecithinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSclerotium Gum is a natural sugar-based fiber made by fermenting a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It's often used as the plant-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners like carbomer.
In skincare, it works as a thickener, gel former, and stabilizer that keeps heavy ingredients suspended so a product does not separate.
It is non-ionic and forms a triple helix in solution. This is just a fancy way of saying it builds a smooth, cushiony, and non-sticky gel that feels silkier than many other gums.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it is very sturdy and holds up across a wide pH range (~2-11). It's also good at resisting heat and hydrolysis.
Since it holds water at the skin surface, it can provide some light hydration as well.
Typical use levels are around 0.25-2%; formulators usually use 0.2-0.5% to thicken lotions and up to 2% for a firmer gel base.
This ingredient has been found safe in cosmetics with no meaningful evidence of skin sensitization.
Learn more about Sclerotium GumWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
