What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningIsohexadecane
EmollientPEG-8
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Poloxamer 124
EmulsifyingParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Steareth-20
CleansingCeteth-20
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Pantolactone
Humectant
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Isohexadecane, PEG-8, Glycerin, Poloxamer 124, Paraffinum Liquidum, Panthenol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Tocopherol, Steareth-20, Ceteth-20, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glycine Soja Oil, Pantolactone, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Trisodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningIsododecane
EmollientC15-19 Alkane
SolventIsopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Cocoate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicCentaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
Astringent
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzethonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
CI 60725
Cosmetic ColorantCI 61565
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Isododecane, C15-19 Alkane, Isopropyl Palmitate, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Biotin, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Benzethonium Chloride, CI 60725, CI 61565
Reviews
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 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 TocopherolTrisodium EDTA is one of those quietly essential helper ingredients that most people have never heard of. You'll most likely spot it near the end of ingredient lists in almost every category of skincare.
So what does it actually do?
Its main job is chelation; this is a fancy word to say it grabs onto metal ions and neutralizes them. This is because even purified water in cosmetics contains trace amounts of metals that can cause big problems in a formula.
These trace metals can break down actives faster, cause discoloration, promote rancidity in oils, and make preservatives less effective. Trisodium EDTA binds to these metals and takes them out of the equation so your products can stay stable and effective for longer.
There's also an added bonus: by neutralizing the metals ions that bacteria need to thrive, this ingredient also acts as a preservative booster.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetic formulations. It is not considered an irritant, sensitizer, and is barely absorbed through the skin.
Learn more about Trisodium EDTAWater. 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
