What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Vp/Va Copolymer
Acrylates/Palmeth-25 Acrylate Copolymer
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingC12-13 Pareth-9
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Himanthalia Elongata Extract
Skin Protecting
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Vp/Va Copolymer, Acrylates/Palmeth-25 Acrylate Copolymer, Laureth-23, Pvp, C12-13 Pareth-9, Caprylyl Glycol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Panthenol, Benzyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Himanthalia Elongata Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool
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.
Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolPvp is a water-soluble synthetic polymer and common hairstyling ingredient. It is a film-forming ingredient and used to "hold" specific shapes of hair.
In cosmetics, PVP helps products like sunscreens and color cosmetics last longer and wear more evenly.
It is less effective in high-humidity. It tends to draw moisture, but this moisture dismantles the structure and "hold".
PVP is generally well tolerated on skin and toxicity studies are negative for dermal irritation.
Learn more about PvpVP/VA Copolymer is a synthetic polymer made by joining two smaller molecules (vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate) into a larger chain.
It is mainly used as a film-former and fixing agent. When a product dries, it creates a thin and flexible layer on the skin, hair, or nails. This film helps hold hairstyles into place, adds a smooth feel to skin, and traps moisture to reduce dryness.
Irritation is rare at normal concentrations and it doesn't penetrate deeply into skin.
Learn more about Vp/Va CopolymerWater. 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
