What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Dibutyl Adipate

Emollient

Alcohol Denat.

Antimicrobial
Alcohol IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Ethylhexyl Salicylate

UV Absorber
0 / 0 UV Protection IconChemical UV Filter IconNon-Reef-Safe Icon

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

Emollient

Ethylhexyl Triazone

UV Absorber
UV Protection IconChemical UV Filter Icon

Propylene Glycol

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Silica

Abrasive
Exfoliant IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores Icon

Cyclopentasiloxane

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Cetearyl Alcohol

Emollient
2 / 1 Fatty Alcohol IconCoconut Derived IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate

Emulsion Stabilising

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Emulsifying

Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine

Skin Conditioning
UV Protection IconChemical UV Filter Icon

Polyester-7

Skin Conditioning

Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol

UV Filter
Chemical UV Filter Icon

Xylitol

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer

Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate

Emollient

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Glyceryl Stearate

Emollient
1 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

PEG-100 Stearate

Surfactant
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Vp/Eicosene Copolymer

Sodium Polyacrylate

Absorbent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Chlorphenesin

Antimicrobial
Preservative Icon

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Emulsion Stabilising

Triethanolamine

Buffering
2 / 0

Decyl Glucoside

Cleansing
Coconut Derived Icon

Ceteareth-20

Cleansing
2 / 3

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning
Good for Barrier Repair Icon

Disodium EDTA

Tocopheryl Acetate

Antioxidant
0 / 0 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf

Masking
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Glucose

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Hyaluronic Acid

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Potassium Hyaluronate

Skin Conditioning

Reviews

2.00
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Heavy 100% Oily 100% Sticky 100%
2.25
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Strong Scent 75% Absorbs Well 25% Doesn't Work 25%

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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 Glycerin
Humectant, Moisturising, Skin Conditioning

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.

Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.

The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.

Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.

This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.

The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.

A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Hyaluronic Acid
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol 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.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. 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

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