What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids
CleansingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water, Glycerin, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Coco-Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Bisabolol, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sophora Flavescens Root Extract
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Decyl Glucoside, Cetyl Alcohol, Betaine, Niacinamide, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Sophora Flavescens Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Ceramide NP, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract is is derived from colloidal oatmeal. Besides being a healthy breakfast, oats have many benefits in skincare too.
This ingredient helps sooth, hydrate, and protect the skin. The starches in colloidal oatmeal are able to bind water, keeping the skin hydrated.
The cellulose and fiber in colloidal oatmeal help reduce inflammation. This can also help the skin feel softer.
Colloidal Oatmeal is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect our skin from free-radical damage.
Oatmeal also contains beneficial compounds:
This ingredient is created by mixing grounded oatmeal and a liquid base.
Learn more about Avena Sativa Kernel ExtractBisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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.
Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
