What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientIsopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Nylon-12
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Polyacrylamide
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantPEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingLaureth-7
EmulsifyingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Ceteareth-6
EmulsifyingIsododecane
EmollientAcrylates/Isobornyl Acrylate Copolymer
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Silica Silylate
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer
Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2
AbsorbentCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Magnesium Sulfate
Silica
Abrasive
Tris-BHT Mesitylene
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Isopropyl Isostearate, Niacinamide, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Nylon-12, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyethylene, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Palmitic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, CI 77891, PEG-100 Stearate, Caffeine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Disodium EDTA, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dimethiconol, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinyl Palmitate, Sodium Hydroxide, Laureth-7, Adenosine, Myristic Acid, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Sorbitan Oleate, Tin Oxide, Ceteareth-6, Isododecane, Acrylates/Isobornyl Acrylate Copolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica Silylate, Alcohol Denat., Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Styrene/Butadiene Copolymer, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Caprylyl Glycol, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Silica, Tris-BHT Mesitylene
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Silicate
BufferingSodium Magnesium Fluorosilicate
Abrasive
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Dipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract
Skin ConditioningHesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein
Skin ConditioningMedicago Sativa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingFoeniculum Vulgare Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSymphytum Officinale Root Extract
Skin ConditioningChlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSteareth-20
CleansingCarrageenan
Sodium Phytate
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
CI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Silicate, Sodium Magnesium Fluorosilicate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein, Medicago Sativa Seed Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium Citrate, Carbomer, Foeniculum Vulgare Seed Extract, Symphytum Officinale Root Extract, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Steareth-20, Carrageenan, Sodium Phytate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, CI 77492, CI 77491, CI 77499, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Alternatives
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
