What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Isododecane
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Codium Tomentosum Extract
Skin ProtectingEthylparaben
Preservative
Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Malic Acid
Buffering
Prunus Mume Fruit Extract
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
CI 16255
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Isododecane, Dimethicone, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Oleate, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Rice Ferment Filtrate, Codium Tomentosum Extract, Ethylparaben, Prunus Lannesiana Flower Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Malic Acid, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Parfum, CI 16255
Glycerin
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantMethylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Glycol
HumectantCI 16255
Cosmetic ColorantSodium
PEG-40
HumectantCI 77820
Cosmetic ColorantAloe Vera Callus Extract
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer 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 CarbomerThis is a synthetic dye used to give a "strawberry" red color.
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 GlycerinPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolSodium 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 HyaluronateTriethanolamine (TEA) is an emulsifier and pH adjuster. It is created using ethylene oxide and ammonia. This gives Triethanolamine a nitrogen core and a similar scent to ammonia.
As an emulsifier, it prevents ingredients from separating and enhances texture by adding volume to a product.
PH adjusters are common in cosmetic products. The pH of a product can affect the effectiveness of other ingredients. A product with a high pH may also irritate the skin.
If you are looking for the tea leaf ingredient, click here.
Learn more about Triethanolamine
