What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantMadecassoside
AntioxidantAsiaticoside
AntioxidantCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingSalicornia Herbacea Extract
Skin ConditioningPhragmites Communis Extract
Skin ConditioningChrysanthellum Indicum Extract
Skin ConditioningAsarum Sieboldii Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCoptis Japonica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningRheum Palmatum Root/Stalk Extract
AstringentLarix Sibirica Wood Extract
AntimicrobialIllicium Verum Fruit Extract
PerfumingCorydalis Turtschaninovii Root Extract
Skin ConditioningQuercus Mongolica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPersicaria Hydropiper Extract
Skin ConditioningMachilus Thunbergii Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPantolactone
HumectantBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientCamellia Japonica Seed Oil
EmollientMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
EmollientArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantOctyldodecanol
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrehalose
HumectantBenzyl Glycol
SolventCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientRaspberry Ketone
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Centella Asiatica Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Phragmites Communis Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Asarum Sieboldii Root Extract, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Rheum Palmatum Root/Stalk Extract, Larix Sibirica Wood Extract, Illicium Verum Fruit Extract, Corydalis Turtschaninovii Root Extract, Quercus Mongolica Leaf Extract, Persicaria Hydropiper Extract, Machilus Thunbergii Bark Extract, Ceramide NP, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Panthenol, Pantolactone, Beta-Glucan, Propanediol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Octyldodecanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trehalose, Benzyl Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Raspberry Ketone, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventBifida Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingDimethicone
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycereth-26
HumectantCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingPropylene Glycol
HumectantMaris Aqua
HumectantCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ns
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ng
Skin ConditioningCeramide As
Skin ConditioningCeramide EOP
Skin ConditioningCeramide AP
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingHydroxyethyl Urea
HumectantBis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
Emollient4-T-Butylcyclohexanol
MaskingUbiquinone
AntioxidantPEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin ConditioningIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBisabolol
AntioxidantEctoin
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
AntioxidantLactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingHamamelis Virginiana Extract
AntiseborrhoeicZingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingO-Cymen-5-Ol
AntimicrobialHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantDimethiconol
EmollientSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentGlucose
HumectantWater, Methylpropanediol, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Centella Asiatica Extract, Propylene Glycol, Maris Aqua, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide As, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide AP, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Ubiquinone, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Bisabolol, Ectoin, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Tocopherol, Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethiconol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Glucose
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
Centella Asiatica Extract (Centella) is one of the most researched botanical extracts in skincare with decades of studies backing its effects on inflammation, collagen, and the skin barrier.
That research keeps pointing back to the same four triterpenoid saponins: Asiaticoside, Madecassoside, Asiatic Acid, and Madecassic Acid.
These compounds allow centella to dial back inflammation, encourage the skin to build and hold onto collagen, support the barrier and hydration, and bring solid antioxidant activity to protect against signs of aging.
Centella also carries a nice supporting cast of Vitamin A, vitamin C, several B vitamins, and amino acids. Put it all together and you get an ingredient that soothes, hydrates, and protects, all at once.
Most of centella's magic comes from the four big compounds (Asiaticoside, Madecassoside, Asiatic Acid, and Madecassic Acid). These are the actives doing the heavy lifting in almost every centella study.
Here is the short version of what they do in the skin:
So it is not just soothing for the sake of soothing. Centella calms the skin AND helps it rebuild.
Just FYI, not all centella on an ingredient list is the same. What you are getting actually depends on the extract:
Fun fact on the ratios: the leaves tend to be richest in Madecassoside and Asiaticoside, and lower in the two acids. The exact amounts shift with where the plant is grown and how it is processed. This means purity really does vary brand to brand.
Centella is one of the most easygoing actives out there.
It layers well with basically everything: niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and vitamin C, and also pairs nicely with stronger actives like retinoids and exfoliating acids where it can help take the edge off irritation.
On the safety side, centella and its triterpenes are classified as weak sensitizers, meaning allergic reactions are possible but uncommon.
Patch tests at 1% and 5% came back negative in test panels, and creams at typical use levels did not cause allergic reactions across large groups of people.
But as with any new active, a patch test is still a smart move for very reactive skin.
Centella is widely used because it is effective at low percentages. For context, human safety testing found no meaningful irritation from creams containing centella extract at everyday use levels (the tested amounts were well under 1%).
The irritancy threshold in animal testing was also above 30% (so real-world formulas sit far below anything concerning).
In collagen lab studies, higher concentrations drove more collagen synthesis, so serums built around centella tend to feature it more prominently.
Bottom line: you will find centella working nicely anywhere from a fraction of a percent up to hero-ingredient levels depending on whether it is a supporting soother or the main event.
Fun fact: Centella has been used as a medicine and in food for many centuries. As a medicine, it is used to treat burns, scratches, and wounds.
Learn more about Centella Asiatica ExtractCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolSodium 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