What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Achillea Millefolium Extract
CleansingAnthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Soy Isoflavones
Skin ConditioningCopper PCA
HumectantZinc PCA
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Citrus Limon Peel Extract
EmollientRose Extract
Skin ConditioningTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Coriandrum Sativum Fruit/Leaf Extract
AntiseborrhoeicFucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract
Masking
Prunus Persica Fruit Extract
Abrasive
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialRubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Colloidal Oatmeal
Absorbent
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Octoxynol-9
EmulsifyingTetrasodium EDTA
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Polysorbate 20, Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Soy Isoflavones, Copper PCA, Zinc PCA, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Extract, Rose Extract, Triethyl Citrate, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Coriandrum Sativum Fruit/Leaf Extract, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Prunus Persica Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Benzoic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Centella Asiatica Extract, Phospholipids, Adenosine, Resveratrol, Ubiquinone, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium PCA, Butylene Glycol, Octoxynol-9, Tetrasodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
