What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
HumectantCaprylyl Methicone
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Farnesene
EmollientBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantSodium Acrylates Copolymer
PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLecithin
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingMethyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningTriethanolamine
BufferingHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingMaltodextrin
AbsorbentDisodium EDTA
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningCeramide AP
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin ConditioningCholesterol
EmollientSaponins
CleansingSaccharide Isomerate
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMineral Salts
Skin ConditioningCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCoenochloris Signiensis Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide EOP
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Salicylate
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingHydroxycitronellal
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingWater, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glycerin, Caprylyl Methicone, Hydrogenated Farnesene, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Triethanolamine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Maltodextrin, Disodium EDTA, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Saponins, Saccharide Isomerate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Mineral Salts, CI 19140, Coenochloris Signiensis Extract, Ceramide EOP, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
EmollientPropanediol
SolventGlycerin
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningSodium Acrylates Copolymer
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
HumectantPseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
HumectantGlycereth-26
HumectantLecithin
EmollientMaltodextrin
AbsorbentSodium Benzoate
MaskingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningLens Esculenta Seed Extract
Skin ProtectingParfum
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingSodium Lactate
BufferingSodium Salicylate
PreservativeSalicylic Acid
MaskingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningWater, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Glycereth-26, Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Sodium Benzoate, Pentylene Glycol, Lens Esculenta Seed Extract, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Salicylate, Salicylic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Biosaccharide Gum-1 is a sugar created by fermenting sorbitol (which usually comes from potato starch!). It is known for its soothing and moisturizing properties.
Manufacturer tests show this ingredient helped reduce irritation from lactic acid by almost half and kept skin hydrated long-term as a humectant
Beyond hydration, Biosaccharide Gum-1 gives formulas a silky, non-sticky feel.
This ingredient is gentle, versatile, and suitable for all skin types.
Fun fact: Similar sugars can be found naturally in fruits like apples and pears.
Learn more about Biosaccharide Gum-1Carbomer 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 CarbomerDimethicone Crosspolymer is a silicone created by modifying dimethicone with hydrocarbon side chains. Due to its large size, it does not penetrate skin. It is considered non-occlusive.
Dimethicone Crosspolymer is used to stabilize and thicken products. It also helps give products a silky feel.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumThis ingredient is a synthetic, salt form polymer built from acrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, or their simple esters. It works as a binder, film former, and viscosity increasing agent.
Typical concentrations start at around 0.5% but can go up to 25% for film-forming or binding.
The CIR Expert Panel assessed the safety of 126 acrylates copolymers and concluded they are safe in cosmetics at current use levels when formulated to be non-irritating. They also noted the levels present in finished cosmetic products are not considered a safety risk and Genotoxicity testing (Ames tests, chromosomal aberration assays) has come back negative across the board.
Though the raw building blocks (like acrylic acid) can be irritating on their own, cosmetic-grade versions go through purification to keep levels extremely low.
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer is a large molecule that doesn't penetrate skin barrier in any meaningful way.
Learn more about Sodium Acrylates 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum