What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acrylates Copolymer
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingDextran
Plankton Extract
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract
AstringentWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Chlorphenesin, Pentylene Glycol, Biotin, Hexylene Glycol, Dextran, Plankton Extract, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Alanine
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Glycine
Buffering
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingHistidine
Humectant
Honey Extract
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantHydrolyzed Yeast Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningIsopropyl Cloprostenate
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
PCA
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Threonine
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Triethanolamine
BufferingTussilago Farfara Leaf Extract
AstringentValine
MaskingVitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Water, Panthenol, Glycerin, Sodium Citrate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Alanine, Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Arctostaphylos Uva Ursi Leaf Extract, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Caprylyl Glycol, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Glycine, Hexylene Glycol, Histidine, Honey Extract, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Isoleucine, Isopropyl Cloprostenate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, PCA, Phenylalanine, Polysorbate 20, Proline, Propylene Glycol, Serine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Threonine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethanolamine, Tussilago Farfara Leaf Extract, Valine, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Metabisulfite
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl 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 or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl 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 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.
Water. 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
