What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAlbatrellus Confluens Extract
Humectant
Gleditsia Triacanthos Seed Extract
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Tetrapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Algin
Masking
Retinal
Skin Conditioning
Glucomannan
Skin ConditioningPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Propanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Gluconolactone, Cellulose Gum, Albatrellus Confluens Extract, Gleditsia Triacanthos Seed Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Tetrapeptide-1, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Algin, Retinal, Glucomannan, Phospholipids, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Calcium Gluconate, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate
Cleansing
Sodium Silicate
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
PCA Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate
Emulsion StabilisingSorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEDTA
Water, Dimethicone PEG-7 Phosphate, Sodium Silicate, Glycerin, PCA Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate, Sorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Lactic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Xanthan Gum, EDTA
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 GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
