What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sucrose Palmitate
EmollientGlyceryl Linoleate
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Glyceryl Polymethacrylate
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pullulan
Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Isomalt
HumectantPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningImperata Cylindrica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPvp
Emulsion StabilisingEchinacea Purpurea Extract
MoisturisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLeontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture
Skin ConditioningNannochloropsis Oculata Extract
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Lecithin
Emollient
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSuperoxide Dismutase
Antioxidant
PEG-8
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Spiraea Ulmaria Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Phaseolus Radiatus Meristem Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Arabidopsis Thaliana Extract
Antioxidant
Argania Spinosa Callus Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningPlankton Extract
Skin ConditioningCitral
Perfuming
Sodium Dextran Sulfate
Gel Forming
Acetyl Octapeptide-3
Humectant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicWater, Carbomer, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Sucrose Palmitate, Glyceryl Linoleate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Limonene, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate, Butylene Glycol, Pullulan, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Isomalt, Propylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Pvp, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture, Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lactate, Lecithin, Glycine Soja Protein, Sodium Hydroxide, Superoxide Dismutase, PEG-8, Ethylhexylglycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Spiraea Ulmaria Flower Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Phaseolus Radiatus Meristem Cell Culture Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Arabidopsis Thaliana Extract, Argania Spinosa Callus Culture Extract, Plankton Extract, Citral, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Biotin
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76
Skin Conditioning
Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 Sh-Oligopeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Water, Butylene Glycol, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76, Nicotiana Benthamiana Octapeptide-30 Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sclerotium Gum, Glycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
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 AcidGlycerin (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 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
