What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventDiisopropyl Adipate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tapioca Starch
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingIsobutylamido Thiazolyl Resorcinol
Bleaching
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Sulfate
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentButylene Glycol
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventTapioca Starch
Isobutylamido Thiazolyl Resorcinol
Bleaching
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTrisodium EDTA
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Sulfate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
CI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantCI 47005
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Cocoglycerides, Distarch Phosphate, Butylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, Tapioca Starch, Isobutylamido Thiazolyl Resorcinol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Sulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum, CI 15985, CI 47005
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycerinYou probably know this ingredient as Thiamidol. It is often called the "hydroquinone alternative" because of it's pigment-fighting abilities.
This ingredient is patented by Beiersdorf (the owner of Nivea, Eucerin, and La Prairie).
It works by in inhibiting tyrosinase (the enzyme your melanocytes use to produce melanin) so less pigment ends up deposited in your skin.
Here's something interesting:
Most brightening ingredients you've heard of like kojic acid, arbutin, and even hydroquinone were originally tested on mushroom tyrosinase. And it turns out, mushroom tyrosinase works pretty differently from the human kind.
So Beiersdorf screened 50,000 compounds against actual human tyrosinase, and Thiamidol came out as the strongest. It showed to be more potent than hydroquinone or arbutin at blocking the human enzyme.
It's been shown to fade melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and sun spots at 0.1-0.2% twice daily with visible results in about four weeks. One randomized trial even found 0.2% Thiamidol worked just as well as 4% hydroquinone on melasma but with fewer side effects.
This ingredient is generally well-tolerated and minor irritation has been reported very infrequently.
Be sure to also check out Rucinol, another "hydroquinone alternative".
Learn more about Isobutylamido Thiazolyl ResorcinolIsopropyl Palmitate is a lightweight emollient made by combining isopropyl alcohol and palmitic acid.
It is an emollient that leaves skin feeling smooth and silky without leaving a greasy feel.
Typical usage concentrations range from 1-5%.
Human testing shows it's non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has cleared it at very high levels (79% in leave-on products).
The one thing worth knowing about its comedogenic score of 3-4 is to keep it in perspective: these ratings come from old rabbit-ear tests using 100% of pure ingredient and doesn't reflect how it behaves at low levels in a finished product.
Because it is an ester of palmitic acid (C16), it falls into the range that the Malassezia yeast can feed on and is considered not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Isopropyl PalmitateMethylpropanediol 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 MethylpropanediolPhenoxyethanol 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.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium 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 HyaluronateSodium Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
Tapioca starch is a thickening agent and is made from the cassava root, also known as yucca.
According to a manufacturer, it is an excellent talc replacement.
It is gluten-free.
Learn more about Tapioca StarchWater. 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
