What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Methyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBetaine
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Prunus Salicina Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentFragaria Vesca Fruit Extract
AstringentPrunus Persica Fruit Extract
Abrasive
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Methyl Trimethicone, Centella Asiatica Extract, Beta-Glucan, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Betaine, Allantoin, Adenosine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glucose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Prunus Salicina Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Fragaria Vesca Fruit Extract, Prunus Persica Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Methyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil
Humectant
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Glyceryl Polymethacrylate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Octadecene
SolventHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cholesterol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingParfum
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Dextrin
AbsorbentTheobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Methyl Trimethicone, Stearyl Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Octadecene, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cholesterol, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Parfum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Linalool, Limonene, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 StearateMethyl Trimethicone is a type of silicone. It is a solvent and emulsifier.
Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
Methyl Trimethicone does not get absorbed into the skin.
Learn more about Methyl TrimethiconeSodium 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
