What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientAscorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSalicornia Herbacea Extract
Skin ConditioningMalt Extract
Skin ProtectingAlgae Extract
EmollientYeast Extract
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium Polyaspartate
HumectantAcetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Sucrose
Humectant
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Simethicone
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSteareth-21
CleansingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Propylene Glycol Dicaprate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Phenyl Trimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Isostearate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Malt Extract, Algae Extract, Yeast Extract, Caffeine, Sodium PCA, Trehalose, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Polyaspartate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Sucrose, Tin Oxide, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Simethicone, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Steareth-21, Polysorbate 20, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Mica, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 14700, CI 19140
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantSqualane
Emollient
Α-Olefin Oligomer
PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningTriethanolamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dipropylene Glycol, Squalane, Α-Olefin Oligomer, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Behenyl Alcohol, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer 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 CarbomerDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeDisodium 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
