What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDiglycerin
HumectantPolyglycerin-3
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf
PerfumingTrehalose
HumectantAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPropanediol
SolventPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningSodium Citrate
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningWater, Diglycerin, Polyglycerin-3, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf, Trehalose, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Allantoin, Sodium Citrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Disodium EDTA, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantPropanediol
SolventCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientDiglycerin
HumectantXylitol
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantPEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer
SolventGlyceryl Polymethacrylate
Glycereth-26
HumectantPEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether
Skin ConditioningSqualane
EmollientHyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantBetaine
HumectantOctyldodeceth-16
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Glucoside
HumectantPropylene Glycol
HumectantCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingGelatin
Panthenol
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTrehalose
HumectantUrea
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
HumectantSerine
MaskingGlucose
HumectantAlgin
MaskingDisodium Phosphate
BufferingGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Pullulan
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantPotassium Phosphate
BufferingCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantBenzyl Glycol
SolventRaspberry Ketone
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Propanediol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Diglycerin, Xylitol, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-17/6 Copolymer, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Glycereth-26, PEG/PPG-14/7 Dimethyl Ether, Squalane, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Betaine, Octyldodeceth-16, Glyceryl Glucoside, Propylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Acacia Senegal Gum, Gelatin, Panthenol, Xanthan Gum, Trehalose, Urea, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium PCA, Serine, Glucose, Algin, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Pullulan, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Potassium Phosphate, CI 14700, Benzyl Glycol, Raspberry Ketone
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.
Adenosine has many benefits when used. These benefits include hydrating the skin, smoothing skin, and reducing wrinkles. Once applied, adenosine increases collagen production. It also helps with improving firmness and tissue repair.
Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.
In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.
Learn more about AdenosineButylene 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 GlycolDiglycerin is a humectant. It is derived from glycerin, which is naturally found in your skin.
As a humectant, it helps draw moisture to the skin from the air.
Ethylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidHydrolyzed 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 AcidPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium 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 HyaluronateSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is a crosslinked version of sodium hyaluronate. This just means it's linked into a 3D mesh network that lets it be more stable and sit on skin as a cohesive, gel-like film rather than sinking into skin.
A 2016 human skin study found crosslinked HA increased epidermal water content by 7.6% over the control group and reduced transepidermal water loss by 27.8%.
A follow-up clinical trial found that a topical crosslinked HA serum applied after fillers, microneedling, or chemical peels was well-tolerated and enhanced skin quality at 14 / 28 days.
More recent research suggests that concentrations as low as 0.03% can act as a penetration enhancer for other skincare actives.
Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate CrosspolymerTrehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.
In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.
Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.
Learn more about TrehaloseWater. 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