What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
AntioxidantGlycerin
HumectantCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
AntioxidantTriethanolamine
BufferingAscorbyl Glucoside
AntioxidantRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientLauryl Glucoside
CleansingPolyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCellulose
AbsorbentHectorite
AbsorbentCitric Acid
BufferingDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingWater, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Triethanolamine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Lauryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose, Hectorite, Citric Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCetyl Alcohol
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientRetinol
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCitrus Aurantium Amara Flower Extract
RefreshingJasminum Officinale Flower Extract
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
CleansingPaeonia Officinalis Flower Extract
TonicPrunus Serrulata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSambucus Nigra Flower Extract
RefreshingHyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantRosa Damascena Flower Oil
MaskingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientRaspberry Ketone
MaskingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingSodium Lauroyl Glutamate
SurfactantPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingPropanediol
SolventDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeBenzyl Glycol
SolventEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Stearic Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Retinol, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Paeonia Officinalis Flower Extract, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Raspberry Ketone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Polysorbate 20, Propanediol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCoco-Caprylate/Caprate is a lightweight ester created from coconut oil fatty acids, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
It is an emollient that helps soften skin and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). What sets it apart from heavier emollients is its ultralight, non-greasy feel.
Once applied, this ingredient dries down quickly and leaves a dry, silky finish behind. This also helps improve spreadability and texture.
This ingredient has an excellent safety-record and is non-irritating.
Typical concentrations for cosmetics range from 0.5-62%.
Research on Malassezia growth found no growth on fatty acid esters with chain lengths shorter than 12 carbons (it prefers C11-24).
Since Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is built on C8 and C10 fatty acids, it is out of the range that Malassezia metabolizes, and therefore safe for fungal acne.
Learn more about Coco-Caprylate/CaprateDehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
Learn more about Dehydroacetic AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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