What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Polyacrylamide
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
C9-11 Pareth-6
EmulsifyingAvena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Inositol
Humectant
Chamomilla Recutita Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Butylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Polyacrylamide, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, C13-14 Isoparaffin, C9-11 Pareth-6, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Inositol, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lactate, Parfum, Citric Acid, Bisabolol
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein
Skin Conditioning
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Rose Flower Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingPotassium Chloride
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientWater, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Potassium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Butylene Glycol, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Allantoin, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Rose Flower Oil, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Potassium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Beeswax, Ethylhexylglycerin, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Laurate, Glyceryl Caprylate
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 GlycolCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Sodium 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
