What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Silica Silylate
Emollient
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Lycopodium Clavatum Extract
Skin ConditioningImperata Cylindrica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Cyclopentasiloxane, Water, Dimethicone, Mica, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Phenoxyethanol, Silica Silylate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Lycopodium Clavatum Extract, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantGlycerin
Humectant
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polybutene
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Methicone
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Mica, Glycerin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Niacinamide, Sodium Chloride, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polybutene, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Methicone, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cyclopentasiloxane (D5) is a lightweight silicone that mostly acts as an emollient and solvent in cosmetics. Its the reason your products feel silky, fast-spreading, and non-greasy.
Since D5 is volatile, it does its thing and then evaporates off the skin quickly.
The safety profile of this ingredient is reassuring; the US CIR Expert Panel concluded D5 is safe as used in cosmetics and Health Canada concluded that D5 is not harmful to human health or the environment as currently used in cosmetics
There's a study that people mention about D5 in a rat study showing tumors. This study is related to long-term inhalation of high D5 levels.
Regulatory bodies have judged this study to be not applicable in topical skincare since skin absorption of D5 is very low and we're not really inhaling huge amounts of D5.
The only restriction for this ingredient is environmental. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) restricted D5 in wash-off cosmetics at or above 0.1% due to their persistence in water.
Learn more about CyclopentasiloxaneGlycerin (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 GlycerinMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideThis silicone is an emollient. Emollients create a thin film on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
It is not soluble in water and helps increase water-resistance in products.
According to a manufacturer, it can blend seamlessly with silicone oils, such as Cyclopentasiloxane.
Learn more about TrimethylsiloxysilicateWater. 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
