What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Inositol
Humectant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningArtemisia Argyi Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30
EmulsifyingBenzophenone-3
UV Absorber
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBifida Polysaccharide
HumectantSodium Metaphosphate
BufferingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Inositol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Serine, Centella Asiatica Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Niacinamide, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Pyridoxine Hcl, Artemisia Argyi Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Butylene Glycol, PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30, Benzophenone-3, Carbomer, Bifida Polysaccharide, Sodium Metaphosphate, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Astaxanthin
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Elastin
EmollientSoluble Collagen
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-50 Hydrogenated Castor Oil Isostearate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Arachis Hypogaea Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Astaxanthin, Serine, Tocopherol, Retinyl Palmitate, Hyaluronic Acid, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Soluble Collagen, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-50 Hydrogenated Castor Oil Isostearate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Arachis Hypogaea Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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.
Serine is a non-essential amino acid (your body makes it on its own!). It is a major player in your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Serine is one of your NMF's most abundant components that works as a skin-identical humectant. Its hydroxyl group grabs onto water molecules to boost hydration without any heaviness or occlusion.
Research on a hydrogel with serine confirmed this serine got delivered to your stratum corneum and demonstrated enhanced skin moisturization.
Interestingly serine also helps your skin produce filaggrin, a protein that keeps your skin barrier strong and used to create collagen.
Learn more about SerineTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
