What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningUlmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Polydiallyl Phthalate
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningWater, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Propanediol, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Polydiallyl Phthalate, Panthenol, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingHydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Potassium Chloride
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingSodium PCA
Humectant
Pisum Sativum Peptide
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Citral
Perfuming
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Acetum
Linalool
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBalanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Persica Fruit Extract
Abrasive
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPanicum Miliaceum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningLinum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialArnica Montana Flower Extract
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Acetic Acid
BufferingWater, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Chloride, Phenethyl Alcohol, Sodium PCA, Pisum Sativum Peptide, Caprylyl Glycol, Decyl Glucoside, Parfum, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Propanediol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Citral, Panthenol, Acetum, Linalool, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract, Balanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Polysorbate 80, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Prunus Persica Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Seed Extract, Panicum Miliaceum Seed Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Sorbic Acid, Acetic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 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.
Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolThis is a botanical extract from the rosemary plant (the same one you cook with). In skincare, it mostly works as a skin conditioning agent.
Its activity comes from a handful of polyphenols, carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. Almost 90% of the antioxidant activity of this ingredient can be attributed to canosol and carnosic acid.
These compounds protect your skin two ways:
1) They fight off free radicals, or the unstable molecules from things like sun and pollution that age and damage skin.
2) They help calm inflammation by switching off the chemical signals that tell skin to get red and irritated.
Lab studies also suggest that rosmarinic acid may help protect collagen and slow sugar-related damage to it.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing.
Rosemary can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis (due to carnosol), so be sure to patch test if you have reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin.
Learn more about Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf ExtractSorbic Acid is a preservative that stops your product from spoiling by stopping microbes from growing.
As a preservative, it's kind of a specialist: it has a broad spectrum of activity against yeast and molds but is weaker against bacteria. That's why it's often paired with another preservative to cover that gap.
This ingredient is also pretty picky about pH; it performs best at pH 6.5 or below.
At the right pH level, sorbic acid is "active" and can slip through the outer wall of a microbe. Once inside, it turns the cell's interior more acidic to shut down the microbe from the inside.
The EU caps this ingredient at 0.6% while the CIR has concluded it's safe at concentrations up to 1%. It's most often used around 0.05-0.2% in cosmetics.
Though this ingredient is considered low-sensitizing and well-tolerated, a very small number of people may have a contact allergy to it. Be sure to patch test if you have a history of allergies towards preservatives.
Learn more about Sorbic AcidWater. 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
