What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Diglycerin
Humectant
PEG-32
HumectantTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Glycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingUrea
Buffering
Sorbitol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-75
HumectantDiethoxyethyl Succinate
SolventPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium Succinate
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPolyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Hexylglycerin
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Succinic Acid
BufferingHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Diglycerin, PEG-32, Triethyl Citrate, Glycosyl Trehalose, Urea, Sorbitol, Carbomer, PEG-75, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Succinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hydroxide, Polyquaternium-51, Hexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Succinic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Methylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTrisiloxane
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Glycereth-20
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAmodimethicone
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCeramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Niacinamide, Dipropylene Glycol, Trisiloxane, Glycerin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glycereth-20, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Amodimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Allantoin, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Beta-Glucan, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Parfum, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ceramide EOP
Reviews
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 GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerDisodium 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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
