What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Lecithin
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Lens Esculenta Seed Extract
Skin ProtectingParfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium Salicylate
Preservative
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Glycereth-26, Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Sodium Benzoate, Pentylene Glycol, Lens Esculenta Seed Extract, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Salicylate, Salicylic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Creatine
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Urea
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Polyacrylamide
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingMalus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingC13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingHydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingUbiquinone
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Lecithin
Emollient
Coumarin
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Xylitol, Glycerin, Creatine, Glycine, Urea, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethiconol, Polyacrylamide, Sclerotium Gum, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Parfum, Laureth-7, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Sodium Hydroxide, Ubiquinone, Xanthan Gum, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Lecithin, Coumarin, Citral, Linalool, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed 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 AcidLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumSodium 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
