What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Betula Alba Juice
AstringentBetaine
Humectant
Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Juice Extract
HumectantVaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Juice
Skin ConditioningHeptyl Undecylenate
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propanediol
Solvent
Lecithin
Emollient
Trehalose
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingAlgin
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Pullulan
Sodium Carrageenan
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingMaris Sal
Skin ConditioningLinalool
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Betula Alba Juice, Betaine, Rubus Chamaemorus Fruit Juice Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Juice, Heptyl Undecylenate, Niacinamide, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Lecithin, Trehalose, Urea, Silica, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Pentylene Glycol, Serine, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Phenethyl Alcohol, Algin, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Pullulan, Sodium Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Potassium Phosphate, Maris Sal, Linalool, Parfum, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantHydrolyzed Prunus Domestica
Skin ConditioningSoy Isoflavones
Skin ConditioningLepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate
HumectantVibrio Alginolyticus Ferment Filtrate
Abrasive
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Coco-Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Mica, Hydrolyzed Prunus Domestica, Soy Isoflavones, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate, Vibrio Alginolyticus Ferment Filtrate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanyl Palmitate, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Lecithin, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Polysorbate 80, Alcohol Denat., Phenoxyethanol
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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
This ingredient is a synthetic, salt form polymer built from acrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, or their simple esters. It works as a binder, film former, and viscosity increasing agent.
Typical concentrations start at around 0.5% but can go up to 25% for film-forming or binding.
The CIR Expert Panel assessed the safety of 126 acrylates copolymers and concluded they are safe in cosmetics at current use levels when formulated to be non-irritating. They also noted the levels present in finished cosmetic products are not considered a safety risk and Genotoxicity testing (Ames tests, chromosomal aberration assays) has come back negative across the board.
Though the raw building blocks (like acrylic acid) can be irritating on their own, cosmetic-grade versions go through purification to keep levels extremely low.
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer is a large molecule that doesn't penetrate skin barrier in any meaningful way.
Learn more about Sodium Acrylates CopolymerTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
