What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
BHT
Antioxidant
BHA
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate 40%
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrahydrocurcumin
Antioxidant
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycolic Acid 70%
Buffering
Dimethicone
Emollient
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Kojic Dipalmitate
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Arbutin
Antioxidant
PEG-10 Glyceryl Stearate
Emulsifying
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
PEG-9 Oliveate
EmulsifyingMorus Alba Extract
AstringentTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Paraffin
Skin ConditioningAllantoin, BHT, BHA, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate 40%, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Parfum, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrahydrocurcumin, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycolic Acid 70%, Dimethicone, Isopropyl Myristate, Kojic Dipalmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arbutin, PEG-10 Glyceryl Stearate, Isopropyl Palmitate, PEG-9 Oliveate, Morus Alba Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Paraffin
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
BHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.
As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.
The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.
However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.
Learn more about BHTMethylparaben is a synthetic preservative and one of the most widely used in the world. It has a simple, but important job: prevent your products from going bad by stopping bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
Typical use levels are low, often 0.1-0.3%.
This is also one of the most heavily studied preservatives out there and major regulatory bodies have repeatedly given it the green light.
In 2023, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed that this ingredient is safe up to 0.4% on its own, of up to 0.8% when mixed with other paraben esters.
Here's the science behind the noise behind parabens/hormones as well:
Methylparaben shows very weak estrogen-like activity in vitro tests (more than 1,000x weaker than your body's own estradiol). In vivo (live-organism) studies don't support a meaningful endocrine-disrupting effect either.
You get a stronger estrogenic effect from eating tofu, actually.
It's also a low sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon; they usually happen on damage or broken skin.
There is a caveat: France has proposed to formally re-examine its endocrine classification in 2025 so the regulatory conversation isn't fully closed as of yet.
But as it stands today, this ingredient is considered safe at permitted levels.
Learn more about MethylparabenPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolPropylparaben is a preservative and one of the most widely used members of the paraben family (it's been used in cosmetics for over a century now).
It works by disrupting microbial cell membranes and enzymes, and is a broad-spectrum protector that works exceptionally well against molds, yeasts, and gram-positive bacteria.
You'll likely see it paired with methylparaben to cover the full range (including gram-negative bacteria).
This ingredient is effective at low concentrations (~0.2-0.5%) and stable across a wide pH range (4.5-7.5 pH). It's effectiveness drops off above pH 8 and it can lose potency when combined with non-ionic surfactants like polysorbate 80 due to micellization.
The regulatory bodies have concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics. The EU has capped it at 0.14% and combined parabens are not to exceed 0.8%.
While parabens do cross the stratum corneum, only about 1% remains for absorption into the body. This is because most of it is metabolized within living skin.
Learn more about Propylparaben
