What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ascorbyl Glucoside
AntioxidantO-Cymen-5-Ol
AntimicrobialDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantSoluble Collagen
HumectantAvena Sativa Kernel Extract
AbrasiveHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialTartaric Acid
BufferingWool Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
MaskingWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCyclomethicone
EmollientDipropylene Glycol
HumectantEthyl Glucoside
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingHydrogenated Castor Oil
EmollientAmylvinyl Carbinol
PerfumingPEG-Crosspolymer
Alcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingDimethicone
EmollientPolysilicone-1 Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHedta
AbsorbentButylene Glycol
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Paraben
PreservativeParfum
MaskingAscorbyl Glucoside, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Soluble Collagen, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Tartaric Acid, Wool Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Water, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Dipropylene Glycol, Ethyl Glucoside, Potassium Hydroxide, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Amylvinyl Carbinol, PEG-Crosspolymer, Alcohol Denat., Polysorbate 20, Dimethicone, Polysilicone-1 Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Hedta, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Paraben, Parfum
Potassium Methoxysalicylate
BleachingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantGlutamic Acid
HumectantAlanine
MaskingMethionine
Skin ConditioningPEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Extract
Skin ConditioningYeast Extract
Skin ConditioningSoluble Collagen
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG-8 Dimethicone
EmulsifyingTetradecane
PerfumingMethyl/Phenyl Polysilsesquioxane
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantPEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
EmulsifyingTrimethylsiloxysilicate
EmollientTrehalose
HumectantPolyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingIsohexadecane
EmollientAcrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Alcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialTrisodium EDTA
Sodium Metabisulfite
AntioxidantSodium Metaphosphate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantPotassium Methoxysalicylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glutamic Acid, Alanine, Methionine, PEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Glycine Soja Extract, Yeast Extract, Soluble Collagen, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-8 Dimethicone, Tetradecane, Methyl/Phenyl Polysilsesquioxane, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Trehalose, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Potassium Hydroxide, Isohexadecane, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Alcohol Denat., Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Metaphosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, CI 77491, CI 77492
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying - mostly due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue, constricting pores and leaving your skin dried out.
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 if this alcohol is near the end of an ingredients list, it will probably not affect your skin much.
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.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.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 GlycolDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolGlycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideSoluble collagen comes from animals and fish. It has a large molecule size, meaning it doesn't get absorbed into skin.
Instead, it sits on top of skin as a humectant to improve skin hydration. It has incredible water-binding properties and creates a water barrier on skin that prevents evaporation.
This ingredient is incredibly gentle and often used to counter more irritating ingredients.
While our skin does have collagen, this ingredient is not used by the skin for anti-aging. Applying collagen topically has not been linked to helping with collagen loss in skin. All the benefits of soluble collagen are related to hydration.
Fun fact: The name "soluble collagen" refers to its ability to dissolve in water.
Learn more about Soluble CollagenWater. 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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water