What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Niacinamide
SmoothingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantSqualane
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningPhellodendron Chinense Bark Extract
EmollientGlyceryl Glucoside
HumectantPetrolatum
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantHydrogenated Castor Oil
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningDiglycerin
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientPhytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-51
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
EmollientCholesteryl Lanolate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPolyacrylamide
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
EmollientTriethanolamine
BufferingC13-14 Isoparaffin
EmollientCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
BufferingLaureth-1
EmulsifyingEDTA
Behenyl Alcohol
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeNiacinamide, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phellodendron Chinense Bark Extract, Glyceryl Glucoside, Petrolatum, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Diglycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Polyquaternium-51, Dimethicone, Cholesteryl Lanolate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyacrylamide, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Triethanolamine, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Laureth-1, EDTA, Behenyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialHydrogenated Castor Oil Hydroxystearate
Skin ConditioningTriethylhexanoin
MaskingHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingDimethicone
EmollientAstaxanthin
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientGlycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingSuccinoyl Atelocollagen
Skin ConditioningPunica Granatum Extract
AstringentHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylparaben
PreservativePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeMethylparaben
PreservativeParfum
MaskingCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Alcohol Denat., Hydrogenated Castor Oil Hydroxystearate, Triethylhexanoin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dimethicone, Astaxanthin, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Glycosyl Trehalose, Succinoyl Atelocollagen, Punica Granatum Extract, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Parfum, Caramel
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycolDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 Phenoxyethanol