What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantOryza Sativa Bran Oil
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantEthylhexyl Palmitate
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientRice Ferment Lees
HumectantOryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin ConditioningRice Bran Acid
CleansingGlycosphingolipids
EmollientHouttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientPetrolatum
EmollientHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingLysolecithin
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
AntioxidantSodium Polyacrylate Starch
AbsorbentPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingEtidronic Acid
Methylparaben
PreservativePropylparaben
PreservativeWater, Butylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polysorbate 60, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Rice Ferment Lees, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Rice Bran Acid, Glycosphingolipids, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Behenyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Lysolecithin, Carbomer, Tocopherol, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Etidronic Acid, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventGlycerin
HumectantCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientTriethylhexanoin
MaskingHydrogenated Rapeseed Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingOryza Sativa Lees Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Yeast Extract
Skin ConditioningCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
EmollientGlycosphingolipids
EmollientCitrus Junos Seed Extract
AntioxidantDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrolyzed Collagen
EmollientMomordica Charantia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
HumectantHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Lysolecithin
EmulsifyingStearic Acid
CleansingButylene Glycol
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
EmollientAmmonium Polyacrylate
StabilisingAluminum Hydroxide
EmollientArginine
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingMicrocrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Polyacrylate Starch
AbsorbentTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic ColorantCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeMethylparaben
PreservativeParfum
MaskingWater, Propanediol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Triethylhexanoin, Hydrogenated Rapeseed Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Oryza Sativa Lees Extract, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Glycosphingolipids, Citrus Junos Seed Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Momordica Charantia Fruit Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydrogenated Lysolecithin, Stearic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Arginine, Citric Acid, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Carbomer, Sodium Polyacrylate Starch, Titanium Dioxide, Caramel, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Parfum
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 GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateGlycosphingolipids are naturally found in the cell membranes of organisms. In animals, they are the major glycolipids found.
Glyolipids help ensure the stability of cell membranes. They also help with cellular recognition, such as allowing cells to form tissues in skin.
Hydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinMethylparaben is a synthetic preservative and one of the most widely used in the world. It has a simple, but important job: prevent your products from going bad by stopping bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
Typical use levels are low, often 0.1-0.3%.
This is also one of the most heavily studied preservatives out there and major regulatory bodies have repeatedly given it the green light.
In 2023, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed that this ingredient is safe up to 0.4% on its own, of up to 0.8% when mixed with other paraben esters.
Here's the science behind the noise behind parabens/hormones as well:
Methylparaben shows very weak estrogen-like activity in vitro tests (more than 1,000x weaker than your body's own estradiol). In vivo (live-organism) studies don't support a meaningful endocrine-disrupting effect either.
You get a stronger estrogenic effect from eating tofu, actually.
It's also a low sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon; they usually happen on damage or broken skin.
There is a caveat: France has proposed to formally re-examine its endocrine classification in 2025 so the regulatory conversation isn't fully closed as of yet.
But as it stands today, this ingredient is considered safe at permitted levels.
Learn more about MethylparabenPolysorbate 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 60We don't have a description for Sodium Polyacrylate Starch yet.
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