What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-8
HumectantPEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingXylitol
Humectant
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientBifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-8, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Xylitol, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Saccharide Isomerate, Isohexadecane, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Allantoin, Chlorphenesin, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Oleate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-7
PEG-14m
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Phytate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Silica
Abrasive
BHT
Antioxidant
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Junos Peel Extract
Skin ConditioningCollagen Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Stearic Acid, PEG-8, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Lauric Acid, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Palmitic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Polyquaternium-7, PEG-14m, Sodium Phytate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Silica, BHT, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Junos Peel Extract, Collagen Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
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 GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPEG-8 is a synthetic polymer used as a humectant and solvent.
This ingredient is able to help dissolve active ingredients, including water. This gives it humectant properties.
It is soluble in water. The number '8' stands for the molecular weight of the ingredient.
Learn more about PEG-8Phenoxyethanol 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
