What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPetrolatum
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingParfum
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Thymus Quinquecostatus Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Persica Flower Extract
MoisturisingAcacia Farnesiana Flower Extract
Perfuming
Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Mume Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMagnolia Liliflora Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLilium Tigrinum Extract
Skin ConditioningLinalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Beeswax, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Dipropylene Glycol, Petrolatum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Parfum, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Thymus Quinquecostatus Extract, Prunus Persica Flower Extract, Acacia Farnesiana Flower Extract, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Prunus Mume Flower Extract, Magnolia Liliflora Flower Extract, Lilium Tigrinum Extract, Linalool, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Water
Skin ConditioningIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientIsodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sorbitol
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Phytate
Hydrolyzed Candida Saitoana Extract
Skin ProtectingHydroxystearyl Glucoside
Salvia Officinalis Extract
Antimicrobial
Hydroxystearyl Alcohol
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Water, Isononyl Isononanoate, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tropaeolum Majus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Sodium Phytate, Hydrolyzed Candida Saitoana Extract, Hydroxystearyl Glucoside, Salvia Officinalis Extract, Hydroxystearyl Alcohol, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
