What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantPEG-32
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingDimethicone
EmollientEthylhexyl Palmitate
EmollientGlycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingHydrolyzed Corn Starch
HumectantPolyquaternium-51
Skin ConditioningUmbilical Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCitrus Grandis Seed Extract
AstringentSqualane
EmollientAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, PEG-32, Pentylene Glycol, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Polyquaternium-51, Umbilical Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Grandis Seed Extract, Squalane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Stearate
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantAscorbyl Glucoside
AntioxidantCeteareth-20
CleansingIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientSqualane
EmollientBoron Nitride
AbsorbentDimethicone
EmollientAcrylates Copolymer
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicParfum
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingMalpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAlchemilla Vulgaris Extract
AstringentXylitol
HumectantMalpighia Emarginata Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPancratium Maritimum Extract
BleachingRhodomyrtus Tomentosa Fruit Extract
HumectantWater, Sorbitan Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Ceteareth-20, Isononyl Isononanoate, Squalane, Boron Nitride, Dimethicone, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, Biotin, Parfum, Citric Acid, Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Xylitol, Malpighia Emarginata Seed Extract, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Rhodomyrtus Tomentosa Fruit Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycolDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, itâs technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term âoil-freeâ isnât regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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