What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
PEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingOpuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Potassium PCA
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tromethamine
BufferingMagnesium PCA
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, PEG-150 Distearate, Butylene Glycol, Pvp, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Potassium PCA, Carbomer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tromethamine, Magnesium PCA, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Caprylyl Glycol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Eicosanedioate/Tetradecanedioate
Skin ConditioningPEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Pullulan
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Eicosanedioate/Tetradecanedioate, PEG-150 Distearate, Pvp, Phenoxyethanol, Xylitylglucoside, Pullulan, Anhydroxylitol, Carbomer, Caprylyl Glycol, Xylitol, Sodium Phytate, Niacinamide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCarbomer 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 CarbomerEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPEG-150 Distearate is a hardworking ingredient that is usually found at the end of a lot of cleansers whose main job is to act as a micellar thickening agent for surfactant-based cleansers.
It works by physically linking up surfactant micelles already in a formula to bump up viscosity and gives products a pourable-but-not-runny body.
Safety-wise, it's been found safe in cosmetics with minimal skin irritation and no evidence of toxicity.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe; it's a diester of stearic acid (C18) that falls into the C11-24 range that the Malassezia yeast feeds on. In vitro studies have also shown the Malassezia can metabolize PEG stearates by cleaving the ester bond to release the fatty acid.
Learn more about PEG-150 DistearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Pvp 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 PvpSodium 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 HyaluronateWater. 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
