What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Powder
Abrasive
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Junos Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningFragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ceratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCalcium Lactate
AstringentRicinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantDextrin
AbsorbentPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Potassium Chloride
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Disodium EDTA
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Butylene Glycol, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Ferulic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Adenosine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Junos Fruit Extract, Fragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract, Allantoin, Chlorphenesin, Caffeine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Xanthan Gum, Calcium Lactate, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, CI 77491, Dextrin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Potassium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Disodium EDTA, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingFructose
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Sucrose
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Dextrin
AbsorbentAlanine
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Hexyl Nicotinate
EmollientPanax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
PPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Caramel
Cosmetic ColorantBenzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Fructose, Glucose, Sucrose, Urea, Dextrin, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Hexyl Nicotinate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Biotin, Panthenol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Caramel, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool, CI 14700
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycolDextrin is a starch-derived polysaccharide. It's made by partially breaking down corn, potato, or other plant starches.
Think of it as "half-processed" starch; it's less complex than the original but not fully broken down into sugar like maltodextrin.
In cosmetics, it mainly functions as a bulking agent, viscosity controller, binder, and absorbent. It helps thicken products, stabilize powders, and get certain textures a less "wet" feel.
This ingredient has a pretty solid safety profile; it's recognized as a safe food additive and its large molecular size means it doesn't meaningfully penetrate skin.
Human repeat insult patch tests using a rinse-off facial product containing 42.69% dextrin found no skin irritation or sensitization in 54 subjects.
Typical real-world usage is much lower: usually under 1% as a texture modifier and up to 40% in masks (rinse off products use less).
Learn more about DextrinDisodium 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 EDTAGlycerin (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
