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 ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientSnail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Vinyldimethicone
Ethyl Hexanediol
SolventAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Arginine
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSqualane
Emollient
Dextrin
AbsorbentEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingZea Mays Kernel Extract
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Guaiazulene Sulfonate
SurfactantHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Fructan
Skin ConditioningGlucose
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Max Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningFragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin Protecting
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein
Skin ConditioningRubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentHydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentWater, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Niacinamide, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Caffeine, Stearyl Alcohol, Vinyldimethicone, Ethyl Hexanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Arginine, Carbomer, Squalane, Dextrin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Xanthan Gum, Zea Mays Kernel Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Sodium Guaiazulene Sulfonate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Anemarrhena Asphodeloides Root Extract, Fructan, Glucose, Tocopherol, Glycine Max Seed Extract, Fragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract, Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
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
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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
