What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No 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 ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingPhosphoric Acid
BufferingDechloro Dihydroxy Difluoro Ethylcloprostenolamide
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Calendula Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Panax Ginseng Extract
Antioxidant
Quercus Serrata Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Extract
Antioxidant
Swertia Japonica Extract
Skin ConditioningTriticum Vulgare Germ Protein
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1
Octapeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Biotin, Cellulose Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Disodium Phosphate, Phosphoric Acid, Dechloro Dihydroxy Difluoro Ethylcloprostenolamide, Butylene Glycol, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Panax Ginseng Extract, Quercus Serrata Extract, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Swertia Japonica Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Protein, Pentylene Glycol, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Octapeptide-2
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Biotin is a B vitamin that is naturally produced by our bodies. It is also called Vitamin H.
Our bodies use biotin in the metabolism process. It also helps our bodies use enzymes and move nutrients around. A biotin deficiency can lead to brittle hair and nails.
More research is needed on applying biotin topically. However, taking biotin orally has been shown to help nourish the skin, hair, and nails. They play a role in forming skin-hydrating fatty acids.
Biotin is water-soluble. It can be found in foods such as fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, and meat. Vitamin H stands for "haar" and "haut". These are the German words for hair and skin.
Learn more about BiotinButylene 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 GlycolChlorphenesin is a synthetic preservative. It helps protect a product against bacteria in order to extend shelf life. In most cases, Chlorphenesin is paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol.
Chlorphenesin is a biocide. This means it is able to help fight the microorganisms on our skin. It is also able to fight odor-releasing bacteria.
Chlorphenesin is soluble in both water and glycerin.
Studies show Chlorphenesin is easily absorbed by our skin. You should speak with a skincare professional if you have concerns about using Chlorphenesin.
Learn more about ChlorphenesinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene 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
