What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Rhus Semialata Gall Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Algin
Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Leaf/Stem Extract
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Zostera Marina Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, Rhus Semialata Gall Extract, Hydrolyzed Algin, Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Leaf/Stem Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Zostera Marina Extract
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice
Skin Conditioning
Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Aspergillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrehalose
Humectant
Lactobacillus
Skin ConditioningPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Trideceth-10
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Tropolone
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Coptis Japonica Extract
AntimicrobialArginine
Masking
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
CI 77220
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dextrin
AbsorbentGlycine
Buffering
Serine
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningTyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Histidine
Humectant
Methionine
Skin ConditioningCysteine
Antioxidant
Bifida Ferment Lysate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Rice Ferment Filtrate, Aspergillus Ferment, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Water, Betaine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trehalose, Lactobacillus, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Trideceth-10, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tropolone, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Coptis Japonica Extract, Arginine, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Hydrogenated Lecithin, CI 77220, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Niacinamide, Dextrin, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Alanine, Lysine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Phenoxyethanol, Histidine, Methionine, Cysteine
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
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium 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
