What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Acrylates Copolymer
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pyrus Communis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Iris Florentina Root Extract
MaskingCucumis Melo Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHedera Helix Leaf/Stem Extract
AntimicrobialEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract
AstringentDisodium EDTA
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Propolis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Water, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Acrylates Copolymer, Coco-Betaine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Pyrus Communis Fruit Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Cucumis Melo Fruit Extract, Hedera Helix Leaf/Stem Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract, Disodium EDTA, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Bakuchiol, Propolis Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Polyglutamic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Glycerin
Humectant
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates Copolymer
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingPotassium Benzoate
Preservative
Sorbitol
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Houttuynia Cordata Powder
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Acrylates Copolymer, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tromethamine, Potassium Benzoate, Sorbitol, Coco-Glucoside, Houttuynia Cordata Powder, Decyl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Salicylic Acid, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin
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.Â
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 preservativesÂ
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerButylene 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 GlycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHyaluronic 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 AcidPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate is an amino acid-based surfactant and cleaning agent. This ingredient can be derived from animals or plants. It may also be synthetically created from fatty acids of the coconut and glycine.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is a gentle surfactant. Surfactants help gather the dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away. It is a mild cleanser and naturally produces foam.
Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium 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
