What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Betaine
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Lauramidopropyl Betaine
CleansingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Inositol
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingAcetyl Glycyl Beta-Alanine
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Betaine, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Niacinamide, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Inositol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Acetyl Glycyl Beta-Alanine, Allantoin, Mandelic Acid, Panthenol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Lauroyl Methyl Glucamide
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Artemisia Capillaris Extract
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
CI 42053
Cosmetic ColorantAcid Green 1
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Lauroyl Methyl Glucamide, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Artemisia Capillaris Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, CI 42053, Acid Green 1
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 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 GlycerinGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.
One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.
Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.
Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.
Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.
Learn more about Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root ExtractPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
