What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantAmp-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Glycerin
HumectantLactobacillus/Salix Alba Bark Ferment Filtrate
AntioxidantMaris Aqua
HumectantCocos Nucifera Water
MaskingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientSodium PCA
HumectantUrea
BufferingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningYogurt Powder
Trideceth-9
EmulsifyingCocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
EmollientPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingTrehalose
HumectantParfum
MaskingPolyquaternium-51
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingWater, Pentylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Amp-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Glycerin, Lactobacillus/Salix Alba Bark Ferment Filtrate, Maris Aqua, Cocos Nucifera Water, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium PCA, Urea, Panthenol, Yogurt Powder, Trideceth-9, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Trehalose, Parfum, Polyquaternium-51, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Hydroxyacetophenone 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 HydroxyacetophenonePentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTrehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.
In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.
Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.
Learn more about TrehaloseWater. 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