What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Dimethicone
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Trihydroxystearin
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Manganese Gluconate
Skin ConditioningAlpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Silica
Abrasive
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientMagnesium Sulfate
Mannose
HumectantCapryloyl Glycine
CleansingVitreoscilla Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Lactobacillus
Skin ConditioningAcetylated Glycol Stearate
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Dimethicone, Water, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Panthenol, Zea Mays Starch, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Trihydroxystearin, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice, Zinc Gluconate, Madecassoside, Manganese Gluconate, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Silica, Aluminum Hydroxide, Magnesium Sulfate, Mannose, Capryloyl Glycine, Vitreoscilla Ferment, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Lactobacillus, Acetylated Glycol Stearate, Maltodextrin, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Tocopherol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Phenoxyethanol, Titanium Dioxide
Water
Skin ConditioningPetrolatum
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Abrasive
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Propylparaben
Preservative
Stearamide Amp
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCedrol
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Petrolatum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Glycol Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Isopropyl Myristate, Propylparaben, Stearamide Amp, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide, Cedrol, Tocopheryl Acetate, CI 77891
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
