What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Succinate
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningCinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract
Antimicrobial
Thymus Vulgaris Extract
Perfuming
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Malva Sylvestris Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningEuterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Fragaria Vesca Fruit Extract
AstringentRibes Nigrum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract
AstringentRubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin Protecting
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Sphingosine
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Zinc Chloride
AntimicrobialPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
2-Aminobutanol
BufferingEthanolamine
BufferingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Ceteareth-25
CleansingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Water, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Succinate, Butylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Allantoin, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Malva Sylvestris Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Fragaria Vesca Fruit Extract, Ribes Nigrum Fruit Extract, Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide Ns, Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Urea, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Pentylene Glycol, Zinc Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, 2-Aminobutanol, Ethanolamine, Benzyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-25, Dehydroacetic Acid, Behenic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Myrothamnus Flabellifolia Leaf/Stem Extract
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Triethanolamine
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14720
Cosmetic ColorantPropylene Glycol, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Saccharide Isomerate, Glycerin, Myrothamnus Flabellifolia Leaf/Stem Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chlorphenesin, Cetyl-Pg Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cholesterol, Ceramide NP, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, CI 42090, CI 14720
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPGlycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolSodium 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 Hyaluronate
