What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCalycophyllum Spruceanum Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingCetearyl Olivate
Squalane
EmollientCarapa Guianensis Seed Oil
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
EmollientPentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil
EmollientRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientPrunus Domestica Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientDecapeptide-52
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningBentonite
AbsorbentTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantTocopherol
AntioxidantCellulose
AbsorbentCetyl Palmitate
EmollientSorbitan Palmitate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSorbic Acid
PreservativeCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Avena Sativa Peptide
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Calycophyllum Spruceanum Bark Extract, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Squalane, Carapa Guianensis Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Prunus Domestica Seed Oil, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Decapeptide-52, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Niacinamide, Allantoin, Bentonite, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Cellulose, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Avena Sativa Peptide
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientCeteareth-20
CleansingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningMethylsilanol Mannuronate
Skin ConditioningCycloastragenol
Ceramide Ns
Skin ConditioningMyristoyl Tetrapeptide-12
Skin ConditioningMyristoyl Pentapeptide-11
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
Skin ConditioningMyristoyl Pentapeptide-8
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-3
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-22
Skin ConditioningSh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantLinoleic Acid
CleansingLinolenic Acid
CleansingCamellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentAllantoin
Skin ConditioningUbiquinone
AntioxidantTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantTocopherol
AntioxidantMagnesium Aluminum Silicate
AbsorbentDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingYeast Polysaccharides
Skin ConditioningSodium Lactate
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingQuartz
AbrasiveSodium Oleate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Sorbic Acid
PreservativePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeWater, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-20, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Methylsilanol Mannuronate, Cycloastragenol, Ceramide Ns, Myristoyl Tetrapeptide-12, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-11, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-8, Sh-Polypeptide-3, Sh-Polypeptide-22, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Ubiquinone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Yeast Polysaccharides, Sodium Lactate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Quartz, Sodium Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium 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 HyaluronateSorbic Acid is a preservative that stops your product from spoiling by stopping microbes from growing.
As a preservative, it's kind of a specialist: it has a broad spectrum of activity against yeast and molds but is weaker against bacteria. That's why it's often paired with another preservative to cover that gap.
This ingredient is also pretty picky about pH; it performs best at pH 6.5 or below.
At the right pH level, sorbic acid is "active" and can slip through the outer wall of a microbe. Once inside, it turns the cell's interior more acidic to shut down the microbe from the inside.
The EU caps this ingredient at 0.6% while the CIR has concluded it's safe at concentrations up to 1%. It's most often used around 0.05-0.2% in cosmetics.
Though this ingredient is considered low-sensitizing and well-tolerated, a very small number of people may have a contact allergy to it. Be sure to patch test if you have a history of allergies towards preservatives.
Learn more about Sorbic AcidTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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