What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantMethyl Trimethicone
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCaffeine
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glucoside
CleansingHydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientBenzophenone-9
UV AbsorberAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantDisodium EDTA
Glycerin
HumectantParfum
MaskingCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningGentiana Lutea Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAchillea Millefolium Extract
CleansingArtemisia Absinthium Extract
Skin ConditioningArnica Montana Flower Extract
MaskingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Sorbate
PreservativeCitrulline
Skin ConditioningCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantCI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Trimethicone, Sodium Chloride, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Caffeine, Caprylyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Benzophenone-9, Alcohol Denat., Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Parfum, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Gentiana Lutea Root Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Artemisia Absinthium Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Sorbate, Citrulline, CI 15985, CI 17200
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying - mostly due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue, constricting pores and leaving your skin dried out.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is if this alcohol is near the end of an ingredients list, it will probably not affect your skin much.
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAPhenoxyethanol 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.
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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water