What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPolyglyceryl-4 Laurate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantTromethamine
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Heptasodium Hexacarboxymethyl Dipeptide-12
Skin ConditioningTrehalose
HumectantMentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
MaskingHyaluronic Acid
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLinalool
PerfumingWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Dipropylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Tromethamine, Carbomer, Adenosine, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Disodium EDTA, Heptasodium Hexacarboxymethyl Dipeptide-12, Trehalose, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventMethylpropanediol
Solvent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingPPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Heptasodium Hexacarboxymethyl Dipeptide-12
Skin ConditioningBetaine
HumectantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantMentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
MaskingCamellia Japonica Flower Extract
EmollientMorus Alba Root Extract
BleachingTocopherol
AntioxidantLinalool
PerfumingWater, Propanediol, Methylpropanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Adenosine, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Disodium EDTA, Heptasodium Hexacarboxymethyl Dipeptide-12, Betaine, Allantoin, Butylene Glycol, Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Morus Alba Root Extract, Tocopherol, Linalool
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.
Adenosine has many benefits when used. These benefits include hydrating the skin, smoothing skin, and reducing wrinkles. Once applied, adenosine increases collagen production. It also helps with improving firmness and tissue repair.
Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.
In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.
Learn more about AdenosineButylene 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 GlycolCarbomer 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 CarbomerDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinHeptasodium Hexacarboxymethyl Dipeptide-12 is a peptide.
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil is more commonly known as lavender essential oil. It is considered a fragrancing ingredient.
Lavender imparts a famous scent. While the smell is lovely, this ingredient and may sensitize skin in topical products. This is because about 85% of the oil is made up of linalool and linalyl acetate.
When exposed to air, these two compounds become strong allergens. This ingredient exhibits cytotoxicity at low concentrations; amounts of 0.25% have been shown to damage skin cells.
A study from Japan found this ingredient caused lavender sensitivity after widespread exposure.
Lavender essential oil has some antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the cons of this ingredient may outweight the pros.
More research is needed to confirm lavender essential oil's effects when used in aromatherapy.
Lavandula Angustifolia is known as the English Lavender and famous for creating purple fields in Provence, France.
Learn more about Lavandula Angustifolia OilLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolThis ingredient is the essential oil from the leaves of cornmint. It is one of the richest natural sources of menthol on our planet (about 70-78%).
In cosmetics, this ingredient mostly works as a fragrance and/or masking agent used to cover up unpleasant smells of other ingredients.
The "cooling" sensation from mint isn't a real temperature change; menthol actives a nerve receptor in skin that gets triggered by cold. Your brain essentially gets a "cool" signal from it.
Just so you know, allergic contact dermatitis to menthol is documented in literature (but it's kind of uncommon). This is why the percentages allowed in leave-on products are quite low (0.2%). Be sure to patch test if you have sensitive skin.
Though this ingredient is not listed as an EU allergen, it's cousins (Mentha Piperita Oil, menthol and Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil) are.
Due to the high Menthol content of this ingredient, brands are required to label "menthol" as a separate ingredient on the list. The EU regulation labels the allergenic substance, not just the source ingredient, so the menthol carried in this ingredient still has to be declared.
Learn more about Mentha Arvensis Leaf OilNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamideTromethamine helps balance the pH and improve the texture of a product. It is synthetically created.
As an emulsifier, Tromethamine prevents oil and water ingredients from separating. This helps stabilize the product and elongate a product's shelf life. Tromethamine also makes a product thicker.
Tromethamine helps balance the pH level of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Oral Tromethanmine is an anti-inflammatory drug but plays the role of masking, adding fragrance, and/or balancing pH in skincare.
1,3-Propanediol, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-
Learn more about TromethamineWater. 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