What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Carrageenan
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ceratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientColloidal Gold
AntimicrobialSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Jania Rubens Extract
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Calcium Lactate
AstringentXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTin Oxide
Abrasive
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77480
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Carrageenan, Butylene Glycol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Colloidal Gold, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Caffeine, Niacinamide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tocopheryl Acetate, Allantoin, Jania Rubens Extract, Adenosine, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Calcium Lactate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Mica, Tin Oxide, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77480, CI 77491, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientMyristyl Nicotinate
Skin ConditioningPPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingLonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningXanthium Sibiricum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMalus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Cyperus Rotundus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCyathea Cumingii Leaf Extract
Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningAlpinia Officinarum Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract
HumectantAcetyl Hexapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Tetrapeptide-21
Skin Conditioning
Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Brassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Polyimide-1
Sorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice
Skin ConditioningPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate
Skin ConditioningXylitol
Humectant
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Pullulan
Aminomethyl Propanol
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Polystyrene Sulfonate
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Lecithin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCinnamic Acid
Perfuming
Levulinic Acid
Perfuming
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningCaprylic Acid
CleansingIsohexadecane
EmollientAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Parfum
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Poloxamer 338
EmulsifyingSilica
Abrasive
Magnesium Sulfate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Myristyl Nicotinate, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Butylene Glycol, PEG-40 Stearate, Bis-Stearyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Ethylene/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Xanthium Sibiricum Fruit Extract, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Cyperus Rotundus Root Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Cyathea Cumingii Leaf Extract, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Alpinia Officinarum Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Tetrapeptide-21, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Ceramide Ng, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Adenosine, Phospholipids, Polysorbate 80, Polyimide-1, Sorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Xylitol, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Pullulan, Aminomethyl Propanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Gluconate, Sorbitan Oleate, Tocopherol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Cinnamic Acid, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Caprylic Acid, Isohexadecane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Parfum, Caprylyl Glycol, Maltodextrin, Poloxamer 338, Silica, Magnesium Sulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Geraniol, Citral, Linalool
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.
The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.
A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
Learn more about AdenosineButylene 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 GlycolGlycerin (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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
