What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Polyquaternium-11
PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides
Emulsifying
Sericin
Skin ConditioningWheat Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Wheat Protein/Pvp Crosspolymer
Polyquaternium-59
UV AbsorberPolyquaternium-10
PEG-60 Almond Glycerides
Emulsifying
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Cassia Auriculata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningActinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-7
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-11, PEG-75 Shea Butter Glycerides, Sericin, Wheat Amino Acids, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/Pvp Crosspolymer, Polyquaternium-59, Polyquaternium-10, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Cassia Auriculata Leaf Extract, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-7, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-69
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Humulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialJasminum Officinale Flower Extract
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Extract
EmollientCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
ChelatingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Water, Polyquaternium-69, Glycerin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Extract, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Reviews
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 GlycolDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
