What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantHydroxyethyl Urea
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentDimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingFomes Officinalis Extract
Skin ProtectingAluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
AbsorbentHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientTrideceth-6
EmulsifyingSorbitan Caprylate
EmulsifyingPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeNiacinamide
SmoothingPropanediol
SolventYeast Extract
Skin ConditioningAesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzoic Acid
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Ammonium Glycyrrhizate
MaskingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
HumectantZinc Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicWater, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Fomes Officinalis Extract, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trideceth-6, Sorbitan Caprylate, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Yeast Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Benzoic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Zinc Gluconate, Caffeine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Biotin
C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientPhytosteryl Canolate
EmollientC13-14 Isoparaffin
EmollientEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV AbsorberC20-22 Alkyl Phosphate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Phytosteryl Canolate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, BHT, Disodium EDTA, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Glycerin, T-Butyl Methylphenoxy Phenol, Water
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 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