What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDibutyl Adipate
EmollientDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole Tetrasulfonate
UV Absorber
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingC20-22 Alkyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingC20-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Water, Dibutyl Adipate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Triethylhexanoin, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Disodium Phenyl Dibenzimidazole Tetrasulfonate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Cellulose Gum, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Disodium Phosphate, C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate, C20-22 Alcohols, Hydroxyacetophenone
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 GlycerinTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
