What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Isononanoate
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyisobutene
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingBorago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Water, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Niacinamide, Glycereth-26, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl Glycol, Bisabolol, PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Polysilicone-11
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
AbsorbentCaesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Soybean Fiber
Skin ProtectingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLaureth-12
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Saccharide Isomerate, Stearic Acid, Polysilicone-11, Glycine Soja Sterols, Persea Gratissima Oil, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Hydrolyzed Soybean Fiber, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Bisabolol, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Panthenol, Carbomer, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Laureth-12, Ethylhexylglycerin, 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.
Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololCaprylyl 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 GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
