What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Isohexadecane
EmollientSynthetic Fluorphlogopite
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningNelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningNymphaea Odorata Root Extract
RefreshingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isohexadecane, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Nymphaea Odorata Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Oleate, Tin Oxide, CI 77891, CI 77491
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Erythritol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
Isododecane
EmollientTrimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Nylon-12
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Magnesium Sulfate
Polysilicone-11
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Propylene Carbonate
SolventParfum
Masking
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Laureth-12
EmulsifyingVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
CI 77007
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15850
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Dimethicone, Erythritol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Isododecane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Nylon-12, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Magnesium Sulfate, Polysilicone-11, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Carbonate, Parfum, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Laureth-12, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, CI 77007, CI 15850
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
