What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Neoruscogenin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Ruscogenin
Skin ConditioningDisodium Adenosine Triphosphate
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingLaminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carnosine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Propylene Glycol, Adenosine, Neoruscogenin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ruscogenin, Disodium Adenosine Triphosphate, Hexylene Glycol, Laminaria Digitata Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Escin
TonicBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Taurine
BufferingO-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
CleansingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Alanine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Histidine Hcl
Skin ConditioningSerine
Masking
Alteromonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingProline
Skin Conditioning
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Threonine
Valine
MaskingLeucine
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Citric Acid
Buffering
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Water, Caffeine, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Pentylene Glycol, Lecithin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Ectoin, Escin, Beta-Sitosterol, Copper Tripeptide-1, Taurine, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Sodium Hydroxide, Lysine Hcl, Caprylyl Glycol, Alanine, Arginine, Histidine Hcl, Serine, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Proline, Glutamic Acid, Threonine, Valine, Leucine, Glycine, Citric Acid, Allantoin, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
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 GlycolCaffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Sorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateWater. 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
