What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMethylparaben
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Methylpropanediol
SolventHouttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water
Skin Conditioning
Artemisia Princeps Leaf Water
MaskingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycereth-26
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Betaine
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Malt Extract
Skin ProtectingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Methylpropanediol, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Carbomer, Arginine, Betaine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Malt Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer 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 CarbomerDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene 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 GlycerinHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseWater. 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
