What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Dimethiconol
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Laureth-4
Emulsifying
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Tapioca Starch
Polyacrylamide
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPolymethylsilsesquioxane
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Avena Sativa Peptide
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Dimethiconol, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-4, Laureth-7, Disodium EDTA, Tapioca Starch, Polyacrylamide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbic Acid, Avena Sativa Peptide
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingOctyldodecanol
Emollient
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 16035
Cosmetic ColorantZea Mays Oil
Emulsifying
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Escin
TonicTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Linseed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
PEG-20 Stearate
Emulsifying
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Propanediol
Solvent
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientCapryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Geraniol
Perfuming
Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil
Emollient
Rose Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract
Astringent
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Citronellol
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Beeswax, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Octyldodecanol, CI 77891, CI 19140, CI 16035, Zea Mays Oil, Mica, Tocopheryl Acetate, Escin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol, Hydrolyzed Linseed Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, PEG-20 Stearate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polysorbate 80, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Panthenol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tin Oxide, Propanediol, Propylene Glycol, Isohexadecane, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Myristic Acid, Sorbitan Oleate, Geraniol, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Rose Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citronellol, Citric Acid, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
