What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingArctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lupinus Albus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningHesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicChrysin
Skin ConditioningDipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingSteareth-20
CleansingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingChlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
N-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Biotin, Chrysin, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Steareth-20, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Sorbic Acid, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Acrylates Copolymer
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingSilica
Abrasive
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Sesame Protein Pg-Propyl Methylsilanediol
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningSoy Protein Phthalate
EmollientPolyacrylamide
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingSteareth-20
CleansingN-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningChrysin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Pvp, Silica, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-40 Stearate, Dimethicone, Hydrolyzed Sesame Protein Pg-Propyl Methylsilanediol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Soy Protein Phthalate, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Steareth-20, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Butylene Glycol, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 77891, CI 77491
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycolWe don't have a description for Chrysin yet.
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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for N-Hydroxysuccinimide yet.
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".
"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.
This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.
Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:
Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.
A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.
That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.
Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.
Human clinical data is promising, but modest:
A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.
A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.
You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
Steareth-20 is an emulsifier and solubilizer. It is created from stearyl alcohol with ~20 units of ethylene oxide to give it a strong preference for water.
As an emulsifier, it helps oil-in-water emulsions like lotions, creams, and cleansers stay stable. It also solubilizes small amounts of oil-loving ingredients (like fragrance) into water-based formulas.
You'll likely find this ingredient with steareth-2 (it's oil-loving sister) where the two work together to give products a cushiony feel.
Typical use levels sit at around 1-5% and this ingredient has been found to be non-irritating by the CIR Expert Panel.
Learn more about Steareth-20Water. 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
