What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
PEG-8 Glyceryl Isostearate
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCyclomethicone
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Cyclohexane 1,4-Dicarboxylate
EmollientPropylene Glycol Dicaprate
EmollientSqualane
Emollient
Zea Mays Germ Oil
Emollient
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Paraffinum Liquidum, PEG-8 Glyceryl Isostearate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cyclomethicone, Water, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Cyclohexane 1,4-Dicarboxylate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Squalane, Zea Mays Germ Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Caprylate
EmulsifyingPEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingPEG-400
Emulsion StabilisingPPG-14 Polyglyceryl-2 Ether
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Citrate
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Ascorbyl Sulfate
Antioxidant
Pullulan
Lactic Acid
Buffering
PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate
Moisturising
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-3 Caprylate, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-400, PPG-14 Polyglyceryl-2 Ether, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Citrate, Glycerin, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Disodium Ascorbyl Sulfate, Pullulan, Lactic Acid, PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
