What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingIsomerized Safflower Acid
Skin ConditioningPhytosteryl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantGlycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Maltitol
HumectantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingTribehenin
Emollient
PEG-150 Stearate
Surfactant
PEG-32
HumectantPEG-6
HumectantPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Eicosanedioate/Tetradecanedioate
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
PEG-10 Phytosterol
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Ceramide Ng, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Capryloyl Glycine, Isomerized Safflower Acid, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Glycosyl Trehalose, Sorbitol, Pentylene Glycol, Maltitol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Tribehenin, PEG-150 Stearate, PEG-32, PEG-6, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Eicosanedioate/Tetradecanedioate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, PEG-10 Phytosterol, 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 GlycolCarbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene 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 GlycolWater. 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
