What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPolyglycerin-6
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Azelaic Acid
Buffering
Squalane
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Inulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Water, Polyglycerin-6, Glycerin, Azelaic Acid, Squalane, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Stearic Acid, Allantoin, Sodium PCA, Glycine, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate
Skin ConditioningSodium Acrylates Copolymer
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Erythritol
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingBellis Perennis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAscorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Pisum Sativum Extract
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Extract
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Isononyl Isononanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Lecithin, Sodium PCA, Erythritol, Chondrus Crispus, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Citrate, Bellis Perennis Flower Extract, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Niacinamide, Pisum Sativum Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium 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 HyaluronateSodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.
Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.
As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.
There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.
Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.
It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
