What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningRetinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Arachis Hypogaea Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Coceth-7
EmulsifyingPPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether
EmulsifyingTriethanolamine
BufferingDimethiconol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Isohexadecane
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Limonene
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Water, Retinyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Arachis Hypogaea Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Octyldodecanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Pentylene Glycol, Coceth-7, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Triethanolamine, Dimethiconol, Carbomer, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Parfum, Tocopherol, Isohexadecane, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Oleate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, T-Butyl Alcohol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal
Water
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
BHT
Antioxidant
BHA
Antioxidant
Water, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium PCA, Propanediol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Resveratrol, Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate, Polysorbate 20, Retinol, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, BHT, BHA
Reviews
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
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 GlycolHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenonePentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Water. 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
