What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingInonotus Obliquus Extract
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingMenthoxypropanediol
Masking
Methyldihydrojasmonate
MaskingPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Stearyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol, Niacinamide, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Betaine, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Squalane, Caprylyl Methicone, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Adenosine, Capryloyl Glycine, Menthoxypropanediol, Methyldihydrojasmonate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Lactate, T-Butyl Alcohol, Dimethiconol, Stearyl Dimethicone, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentaerythritol
HumectantPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract
TonicPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Mannose
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Nigella Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Origanum Majorana Leaf Oil
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAnthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Coumarin
Perfuming
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Pentaerythritol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Dimethicone, Alcohol Denat., Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Dimethiconol, Mannose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Parfum, T-Butyl Alcohol, Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Benzoic Acid, Origanum Majorana Leaf Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Coumarin, Sorbic Acid, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Tocopherol, CI 19140, CI 14700
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.
Adenosine has many benefits when used. These benefits include hydrating the skin, smoothing skin, and reducing wrinkles. Once applied, adenosine increases collagen production. It also helps with improving firmness and tissue repair.
Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.
In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.
Learn more about AdenosineAlcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
The "denat" part just means "denatured"; common denaturants include Denatonium Benzoate, t-butyl alcohol, and Diethyl Phthalate. This step makes the alcohol undrinkable (and lets brand skip taxes related to beverage alcohol).
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue to constrict pores and dry out your skin.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is this ingredient will probably not affect your skin much if it is near the end of an ingredients list.
One thing to note:
People with ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) deficiency may experience skin irritation from continued alcohol use. About 8% of the world's population have this deficiency.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has determined denatured alcohols to be safe for use in concentrations between 0.05% and 12% (depending on which denaturant is used).
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Look for formulas that contain glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol if you want to offset any drying effect.
This ingredient will trip away your skin's natural oils/lipids that help it lock in moisture. This can worsen dryness, trigger eczema flare-ups, and aggravate rosacea.
Be sure to patch test any product with this ingredient if you have dry or sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea.
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer is a synthetically created polymer. It's used as a film-forming agent and used to thicken the consistency of products.
Think of it as a supportive ingredient that helps your gel-creams feel silky, "cloud cream-like", and spread evenly without being greasy.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it (along with 22 other acryloyldimethyltaurate polymers) and concluded it's:
Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating it.
Learn more about Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp CopolymerDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDimethiconol is a silicone that resembles the popular dimethicone. Like other silicones, it is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
This ingredient helps to create a silky texture and improve spreadability. Due to its high molecular weight and thickness, it is often combined with cyclopentasiloxane.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideT-Butyl Alcohol it is most commonly used as a solvent.
At room temperature, T-Butyl Alcohol melts and has a similar smell to camphor.
This ingredient is derived from isobutane. It is the simplest form of a tertiary alcohol. Due to its chemical structure, it is more resistant to oxidation.
Some sources online claim T-Butyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. However, it is not considered one due to its chemical structure.
Learn more about T-Butyl AlcoholWater. 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
