Serum
Emulsion
British United Kingdom
American United States

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Solvent

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Undecane

Emollient

Arginine

Masking
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Inulin

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Microcrystalline Cellulose

Absorbent

Ceteareth-20

Cleansing
2 / 3

Tridecane

Perfuming
Fragrance Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Hydroxyacetophenone

Antioxidant
Antioxidant IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Panthenol

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking
Coconut Derived IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Emulsion Stabilising

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Pullulan

Tetrapeptide-21

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Emulsion Stabilising

Glyceryl Linoleate

Emollient
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Humectant
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Pentapeptide-18

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging Icon

Oligopeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Arginine/Lysine Polypeptide

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Sucrose Palmitate

Emollient

Cetyl Palmitate

Emollient
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Carbomer

Emulsion Stabilising
1 / 0

Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol

UV Absorber

Polysorbate 80

Emulsifying
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sorbitan Stearate

Emulsifying
0 / 1 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Polysorbate 20

Emulsifying
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Carnosine

Skin Conditioning
Helps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Sodium Metabisulfite

Antioxidant
Preservative IconAntioxidant Icon

Dunaliella Salina Extract

Skin Conditioning

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Emollient
0 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin

Masking

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Emulsifying
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Pantolactone

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Disodium EDTA

T-Butyl Alcohol

Perfuming
Alcohol IconFragrance IconCan worsen Dry Skin Icon

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Glyceryl Caprylate

Emollient

Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer

Skin Conditioning

Polyvinyl Alcohol

Phenylpropanol

Masking
Fragrance Icon

Reviews

2.60
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Absorbs Well 40% Expensive 40% Heavy 40%
5.00
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Expensive 100% Great Value 100% Hydrating 100%

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Dimethicone 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 Dimethicone

Disodium 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 EDTA
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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 Glycerin
Absorbent, Emulsion Stabilising, Stabilising

Microcrystalline Cellulose is another name for refined wood pulp. It is used as an emulsifier and mattifying ingredient. As an emulsifier, it helps keep ingredients together.

Preservative

Phenoxyethanol 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.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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. Remember to stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

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