What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialPvp
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Extract
AntiseborrhoeicGlycerin
HumectantLecithin
EmollientSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningActinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeWater, Alcohol Denat., Pvp, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Glycerin, Lecithin, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Phosphate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantDiglycerin
HumectantBetaine
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeGlycereth-26
HumectantPolyester-24
Propylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPolyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Glucoside
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Diglycerin, Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, Glycereth-26, Polyester-24, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dipropylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Lecithin
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 GlycerinHydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinPhenoxyethanol 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