What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Coptis Japonica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Vegetable Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningIllicium Verum Fruit Extract
Perfuming
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyproline
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Copper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Chloride
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine
Skin Conditioning
Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hexapeptide-9
Skin Conditioning
Tripeptide-29
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Carbomer, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Coptis Japonica Root Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Vegetable Amino Acids, Illicium Verum Fruit Extract, Proline, Hydroxyproline, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Magnesium Chloride, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Oligopeptide-1, Hexapeptide-9, Tripeptide-29
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract
RefreshingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Vegetable Oil
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylamide
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingLaureth-7
EmulsifyingC13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Squalane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Vegetable Oil, Polyacrylamide, Carbomer, Laureth-7, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 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
