What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Lactic Acid, Isopropyl Isostearate, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Stearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Trehalose, Dimethiconol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Sodium Lactate, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Citronellol
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Ethyl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Limonene
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitral
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Malic Acid
Buffering
CI 15510
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Propanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ethyl Macadamiate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Limonene, Citric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Sodium Hydroxide, Citral, Tocopherol, Malic Acid, CI 15510, CI 15985
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
You might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.
Like other types of vitamin C, this ingredient has many benefits including reducing wrinkles, skin soothing, dark spot fading, and fighting against free radicals.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid interferes with the process of skin darkening, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation. It also encourages the skin to produce more collagen.
Once applied, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is converted to Vitamin C deeper in the skin's layers. This process is slow but makes this ingredient more tolerable for skin.
The optimum pH range for this ingredient is 4 - 5.5
Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic AcidBenzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinLimonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term '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.
Learn more about LimoneneLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum 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 âFRAGRANCEâ or âPARFUMâ 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 ParfumWater. 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
