What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTetrasodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Behenyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Stearic Acid, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Poly(C6-12 Olefin)
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningPEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMethylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingPropylparaben
Preservative
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Water, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-12 Olefin), Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Sodium Hyaluronate, Behenyl Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Propylparaben, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Disodium EDTA, Arachidyl Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behenyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol (these are different from the drying, solvent alcohols).
Fatty Alcohols have hydrating properties and are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils; behenyl alcohol is derived from the fats of vegetable oils.
Emollients help keep your skin soft and hydrated by creating a film that traps moisture in.
In 2000, Behenyl Alcohol was approved by the US as medicine to reduce the duration of cold sores.
Learn more about Behenyl AlcoholCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
