What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Genistein
Skin ConditioningCarnosine
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Epigallocatechin Gallate
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract
Skin Protecting
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLaureth-4
Emulsifying
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycereth-26, Allantoin, Genistein, Carnosine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethiconol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Polysorbate 20, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Laureth-4, Laureth-23, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract comes from the Boerhavia Diffusa tree, or more commonly known as punarnava, red spiderling, spreading hogweed, or tarvine.
This tree is native to India and commonly used in ayurvedic medicine.
Studies show this extract helps soothe and hydrate skin. This root contains many amino acids that help moisturize skin, such as arginine and glycine.
Boerhavia Diffusa Root Extract also contains antioxidants, antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.
Learn more about Boerhavia Diffusa Root ExtractButylene 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 EDTAEpigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin in green tea. It is a heavyweight antioxidant in the green tea family.
In skincare, it helps protect skin from photoaging damage by scavenging UV-induced reactive oxygen species and tampering down inflammatory pathways.
UV-exposed skin cells treated with EGCG showed less of the enzyme that chews up collagen, lower inflammatory signaling, and better preserved barrier function.
EGCG nudges skin cells to make more of your skin's built in moisturizing molecules, filaggrin and hyaluronic acid, for better skin hydration.
Because it inhibits melanogenesis, it also provides a mild brightening effect.
Clinically, topical EGCG has helped calm radiation-related skin irritation and scalp seborrheic dermatitis with no major side effects.
In an 8-week split-face study, topical EGCG at 1% and 5% significantly reduced inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne.
A study from 2023 on patients with Seborrhea (a chronic skin condition caused by overactive sebaceous glands) found that using a 5% EGCG cream (alone and combined with 2% L-carnitine) and found meaningful sebum reduction plus better hydration.
Just one caveat here: Most clinical trials used 1-5% concentrations and most cosmetics contain only 0.1-1%.
The only headache related to this ingredient is stability. EGCG degrades quickly with heat, light, oxygen, and higher pH.
That's why you'll usually see it in low-pH formulas (4.5-6.5) or paired with vitamin C + vitamin E to slow its degradation. Hyaluronic acid also stabilizes it and boosts its antioxidant activity.
Learn more about Epigallocatechin GallateEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Water. 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
