What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingZea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Palm Glycerides
Emollient
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningP-Anisic Acid
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cocoglycerides, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Panthenol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Carbomer, Zea Mays Starch, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, P-Anisic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin
HumectantStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Phytate
Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSambucus Nigra Flower Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate
CleansingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Phytate, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sambucus Nigra Flower Water, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Sodium Methyl Stearoyl Taurate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Ceramide AP
Reviews
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 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 CarbomerCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
