What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientC9-12 Alkane
SolventPolyurethane-35
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTrehalose
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Methylpropanediol
SolventCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenylpropanol
Masking
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Sodium Carrageenan
Emulsion StabilisingMaris Sal
Skin ConditioningPhytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2
AbsorbentHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPullulan
Silica
Abrasive
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Trisodium EDTA
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propanediol, Glycerin, Squalane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, C9-12 Alkane, Polyurethane-35, Mica, Trehalose, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Gluconolactone, Methylpropanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenylpropanol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Sodium Carrageenan, Maris Sal, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Tocopherol, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Phospholipids, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Sodium PCA, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Silica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Disodium Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, CI 77491, CI 14700, CI 77891, CI 19140
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2
AbsorbentPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Xylitol
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventNiacinamide
Smoothing
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningTremella Fuciformis Extract
Humectant
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMethyl Diisopropyl Propionamide
MaskingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingT-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Pentylene Glycol, Xylitol, Methylpropanediol, Niacinamide, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, T-Butyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer is a synthetically created polymer. It's used as a film-forming agent and used to thicken the consistency of products.
Think of it as a supportive ingredient that helps your gel-creams feel silky, "cloud cream-like", and spread evenly without being greasy.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it (along with 22 other acryloyldimethyltaurate polymers) and concluded it's:
Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating it.
Learn more about Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp CopolymerButylene 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 GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Methylpropanediol is a synthetic solvent and humectant.
As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients, helping to evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product. This ingredient has also been shown to have antimicrobial properties which makes it a preservative booster.
Methylpropanediol is able to add a bit of moisture to the skin. It also helps other ingredients be better absorbed into the skin, such as salicylic acid.
Learn more about MethylpropanediolPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWe don't have a description for Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2 yet.
Water. 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
