What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Asparagopsis Armata Extract
Skin ProtectingHydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingAscophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningChrysanthellum Indicum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sorbitol, Butylene Glycol, Caffeine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Hydroxyacetophenone, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Mica, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantAcetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3
Skin Conditioning
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Gallyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningSilanetriol
Arginine
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone
Skin ConditioningPropyl Gallate
Antioxidant
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Acetyl Glucosamine, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Caffeine, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract, Silanetriol, Arginine, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Propyl Gallate, Maltodextrin, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
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 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 CaffeineGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is used in skincare as a delivery system.
It works by "encapsulating" active ingredients with its unique ring shape that is water-loving on the outside and oil-loving on the inside. This improves the stability and absorption of the product into the skin.
According to a manufacturer, it also offer some moisturizing effects.
Learn more about Hydroxypropyl CyclodextrinThis synthetic, signal peptide has unique skin conditioning properties in that is a matrikine-mimetic compound.
First of all, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 is a signal peptide; signal peptides tell the body to create more collagen.
What is a matrikine-mimetic compound?
This peptide has the ability to mimic matrikines in skin. Our skin created matrikines by breaking down matrix proteins into peptides.
Matrikines play a role in:
Though further research is needed, this ingredient seems pretty promising. In one study, women over the age of 40 with visible photoaging used a vitamin C serum with this ingredient for 56 days (15% ascorbid acid, 5 ppm palmitoyl tripeptide‐38). The results found improvement in skin roughness and skin tone.
This peptide is also part of the famous Matrixyl synthe’6, a blend of ingredients that also includes glycerin, water, and hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin.
Learn more about Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38Phenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
