What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Squalane
Emollient
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Dioscorea Villosa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76
Skin Conditioning
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-47
Acetyl Sh-Hexapeptide-5 Amide Acetate
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingC14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Olivate
Mannitol
Humectant
Phosphatidylcholine
EmulsifyingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Dipotassium Phosphate
BufferingPropanediol
Solvent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Phytate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Phosphate
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Diheptyl Succinate, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Dioscorea Villosa Root Extract, Copper Tripeptide-1, Oligopeptide-1, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-47, Acetyl Sh-Hexapeptide-5 Amide Acetate, Ceramide NP, Niacinamide, Centella Asiatica Extract, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Sodium PCA, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Allantoin, Betaine, Bisabolol, Zinc PCA, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, C14-22 Alcohols, Sodium Polyacrylate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Carbomer, Sorbitan Olivate, Cellulose Gum, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetearyl Olivate, Mannitol, Phosphatidylcholine, Cetyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Dipotassium Phosphate, Propanediol, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium 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 Water
