What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningMelatonin
Antioxidant
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Rosa Canina Fruit Extract
Astringent
Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion Stabilising
Thioctic Acid
Antioxidant
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningLauryl Glucoside
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
CleansingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Coco-Glucoside, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Melatonin, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Thioctic Acid, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Lauryl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Avocado Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Tasmannia Lanceolata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSyzygium Luehmannii Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Kunzea Pomifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Avocado Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Maltodextrin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Gluconolactone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Tasmannia Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Syzygium Luehmannii Fruit Extract, Kunzea Pomifera Fruit Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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
