What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
SurfactantCitric Acid
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Tangeritin
AntioxidantChondrus Crispus
MaskingSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingXylitol
HumectantDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingButylene Glycol
HumectantAnhydroxylitol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningDextran
Arginine
MaskingSodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantWater, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Tangeritin, Chondrus Crispus, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Xylitol, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Butylene Glycol, Anhydroxylitol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dextran, Arginine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyacetophenone
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantPropanediol
Solvent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingGlycereth-26
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantGlycerin
HumectantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantAmmonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingMineral Salts
Skin ConditioningTripeptide-3
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
HumectantAcetyl Octapeptide-3
HumectantCopper Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningTripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningTripeptide-2
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Glycereth-26, Hydroxyacetophenone, Glycerin, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Mineral Salts, Tripeptide-3, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Copper Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Tripeptide-1, Tripeptide-2
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 GlycolGlycerin (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