What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polysilicone-11
Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Isohexadecane
EmollientCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Callus Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Potassium Citrate
BufferingSilanetriol
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMyristoyl Nonapeptide-3
Skin Conditioning
Crocus Chrysanthus Bulb Extract
Skin ConditioningMyristoyl Hexapeptide-4
Skin Conditioning
Myristoyl Pentapeptide-8
Skin Conditioning
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Darutoside
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Polysilicone-11, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Acacia Senegal Gum, Niacinamide, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Isohexadecane, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Callus Culture Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract, Carbomer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Decyl Glucoside, Hexylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Aminomethyl Propanol, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Citrate, Silanetriol, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Crocus Chrysanthus Bulb Extract, Myristoyl Hexapeptide-4, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-8, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Darutoside, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
PPG-15 Stearyl Ether
EmollientPEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Phytonadione Epoxide
AstringentMagnesium Sulfate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Cera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Dextran Sulfate
Gel Forming
Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Steareth-20
CleansingHesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPEG-8
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
N-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningBHT
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Chrysin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicWater, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Isopropyl Myristate, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Phytonadione Epoxide, Magnesium Sulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Cera Microcristallina, CI 77891, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Steareth-20, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Disodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-8, Pentylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, BHT, Potassium Sorbate, Dipeptide-2, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sodium Citrate, Biotin
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 GlycerinIsohexadecane is added to enhance texture, emulsify, and to help cleanse. It is an isoparrafin. It is a component of petrolatum.
Due to its large size, Isohexadecane is not absorbed by the skin. Instead, it sits on top and acts as an emollient. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by trapping moisture within.
Isohexadecane is often used in products designed to help oily skin. It is lightweight and non-greasy while helping to moisturize. When mixed with silicones, it gives a product a silky feel.
Learn more about IsohexadecanePentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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
