What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Pouteria Lucuma Pulp Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Glabridin
BleachingBenzoic Acid
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingWater, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Allantoin, Propanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Pouteria Lucuma Pulp Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Glabridin, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Chloride
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantKojic Acid
Antioxidant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Honey Extract
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSpiraea Ulmaria Extract
AstringentPropanediol
Solvent
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingActinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Acer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningBoerhavia Diffusa Root Extract
Skin Protecting
Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol, Kojic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Butylene Glycol, Honey Extract, Sodium Lactate, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Spiraea Ulmaria Extract, Propanediol, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Tetrasodium EDTA, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract
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 GlycerinPropanediol 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 PropanediolPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
Water. 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
