What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract
Masking
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Propanediol
Solvent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Water, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Coco-Caprylate, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1, Ascorbic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Caffeine, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Lauroyl Lysine, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Propanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantPEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Magnesium Sulfate
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Aluminum Dimyristate
Emulsion StabilisingTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Mica, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Magnesium Sulfate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aluminum Dimyristate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 HyaluronateWater. 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 WaterThis ingredient is a combination of red, black, and yellow iron oxide pigments. This combination of colors is usually found in foundation, because it results in a "skin" color.
The EU typically uses CI numbers for colorants when applicable, such as CI 77489. In the US, iron oxides are regulated as color additives and "iron oxides" is the most commonly used name in US cosmetic practice.
A 2021 paper looked at skincare formulations containing iron oxides and found that they reduced transmission of blue light when measured optically. In simple terms, the pigment particles helped block or scatter part of the visible light spectrum in lab testing and the authors suggest this could translate into better protection against blue-light-related skin effects.
There is also clinical and experimental research showing that tinted products containing iron oxides can reduce visible light-induced pigmentation:
Please note, whether a product reduces visible or blue light depends on things like:
In the EU's CosIng database, iron oxides are only listed as a colorant. CosIng groups ingredients by their main cosmetic role, such as colorant, preservative, or UV filter.
Though studies say iron oxides can "attenuate blue light", they're describing an optical property and not an officially recognized cosmetic function.
So CosIng isn’t contradicting the research. It’s just classifying iron oxides by what they officially are: pigments that add color.
Learn more about Iron Oxides
