What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
CleansingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Polyacrylamide
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialLavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Masking
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Extract
EmollientCucumis Sativus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Spirulina Platensis Extract
Skin ProtectingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Extract, Cucumis Sativus Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citral, Limonene, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantPPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningMannitol
Humectant
Tridecapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Ergothioneine
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningFerulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Mannitol, Tridecapeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Ergothioneine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Bisabolol, Sodium Gluconate, Decylene Glycol, Ferulic Acid, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Tocopherol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, 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.
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 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
