What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBHT
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTromethamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Allantoin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Carbomer, BHT, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA, Retinol, Polysorbate 20, Tocopherol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propanediol
Solvent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantCyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Phytate
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dextrin
AbsorbentTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Mentha Rotundifolia Leaf Extract
TonicThymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Skin ProtectingWater, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Cyclohexasiloxane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Tromethamine, Adenosine, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Ubiquinone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Resveratrol, Butylene Glycol, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Mentha Rotundifolia Leaf Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 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 GlycerinPentylene 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 GlycolTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolTromethamine helps balance the pH and improve the texture of a product. It is synthetically created.
As an emulsifier, Tromethamine prevents oil and water ingredients from separating. This helps stabilize the product and elongate a product's shelf life. Tromethamine also makes a product thicker.
Tromethamine helps balance the pH level of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Oral Tromethanmine is an anti-inflammatory drug but plays the role of masking, adding fragrance, and/or balancing pH in skincare.
1,3-Propanediol, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-
Learn more about TromethamineWater. 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
