What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPoloxamer 184
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Sorbitol
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Lactobacillus
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Water, Poloxamer 184, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Sorbitol, Decyl Glucoside, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Lactobacillus, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPoloxamer 184
EmulsifyingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Citrate
BufferingParfum
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Octanediol
Water, Hexylene Glycol, Poloxamer 184, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Citrate, Parfum, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Octanediol
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
Decyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is below the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideDisodium 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 EDTAHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidHydrolyzed 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 AcidPhenoxyethanol 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.
Poloxamer 184 is a surfactant and emulsifier made from polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene units.
It allows ingredients that don't normally mix (like water and oil) to blend together and stay stable; this makes it easier for cleansers and makeup removers to grab onto dirt, oil, and makeup to be rinsed away more easily.
Sodium 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
