What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycolipids
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Antioxidant
Crocus Sativus Flower Extract
MaskingEvodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Maltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantDiethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate
Skin Protecting
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propanediol, Glycolipids, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Crocus Sativus Flower Extract, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, CI 14700
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Polysilicone-11
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantSqualane
Emollient
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantNylon-12
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Potassium Aluminum Silicate
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningIsohexadecane
EmollientPEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 40
Emulsifying
Hydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract
Skin ProtectingCaramel
Cosmetic ColorantAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingCamellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingNylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
CI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
Masking
CI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantPolyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Nicotiana Sylvestris Leaf Cell Culture
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Plumeria Rubra Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAnthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Polysilicone-11, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Silica, Mica, Squalane, CI 77891, Nylon-12, Isononyl Isononanoate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Potassium Aluminum Silicate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Isohexadecane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carbomer, Polysorbate 60, Polysorbate 40, Hydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract, Caramel, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Disodium EDTA, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt, Sodium Hydroxide, CI 77491, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lactate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Coco-Glucoside, CI 77492, Parfum, CI 77499, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Tin Oxide, Nicotiana Sylvestris Leaf Cell Culture, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Tocopherol, Plumeria Rubra Flower Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Citronellol, Geraniol
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
