What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantBehentrimonium Chloride
PreservativeCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicHydrolyzed Collagen
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Pea Protein
EmollientAesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCetrimonium Chloride
AntimicrobialGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-10
PEG-7 Dimethicone
Skin ConditioningLaureth-7
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingDiazolidinyl Urea
PreservativeIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
PreservativeParfum
MaskingWater, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Biotin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Cetrimonium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-10, PEG-7 Dimethicone, Laureth-7, Polysorbate 20, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicHydrolyzed Collagen
EmollientCoffea Arabica Seed Oil
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCetrimonium Chloride
AntimicrobialMaltodextrin
AbsorbentMaltodextrin/Vp Copolymer
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingPPG-3 Myristyl Ether
EmollientPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeBenzoic Acid
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSilicone Quaternium-22
Zea Mays Starch
AbsorbentPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
AntioxidantSodium Benzoate
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingParfum
MaskingCitronellol
PerfumingCoumarin
PerfumingEugenol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingHydroxycitronellal
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingWater, Glycerin, Biotin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Coffea Arabica Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Maltodextrin, Maltodextrin/Vp Copolymer, Pvp, PPG-3 Myristyl Ether, Polysorbate 20, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Silicone Quaternium-22, Zea Mays Starch, Phenoxyethanol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Parfum, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool
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 BiotinThis ingredient is a preservative, antimicrobial, and emulsifier. It is often used in cosmetics for its ability to cleanse, condition, and reduce static.
Cetrimonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt, meaning it has a water-soluble structure.
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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Collagen is Collagen (usually sourced from fish, bovine, or porcine byproducts) that's been broken down into smaller peptides. This makes it water-soluble and easy to blend into formulations.
In a formula, it works mainly as a skin-conditioning and moisturizing agent.
The small peptides and amino acids (including Natural Moisturizing Factor components like Hydroxyproline, Serine, and Aspartic Acid) help the surface of the skin hold onto water, feel softer, and look temporarily plumper.
This ingredient also has mild film-forming and antioxidant properties with research showing the antioxidant effect is stronger the lower the molecular weight of the peptides.
It's worth being realistic here:
Topically applied Hydrolyzed Collagen conditions the upper layers of skin rather than rebuilding the structural collagen deep in your dermis (the wrinkle-and-firmness benefits people associate with Collagen mostly come from oral supplements in studies, not topicals).
However, recent lab and skin-model work on Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen has shown promising effects on cell viability and wound healing when used as an active.
Typical concentrations range from 0.2-2%, but the percentage can go much higher in rinse-off or hair products (sometimes even above 50%).
Clinical studies on this ingredient showed no irritation, sensitization, or phototoxicity.
If you are looking for vegan collagen, it usually goes by a different INCI name like hydrolyzed soy protein. Vegan collagen is derived from yeast, bacteria, or plant sources.
The results are varied.
A study from 2021 found hydrolyzed collagen increased elasticity and improved wrinkles in 1,125 participants between age 20 and 70. Another study found increased skin thickness in participants between the ages of 45 to 59.
However, It is difficult to prove that oral collagen will end up working on your skin. Many of the studies using hydrolyzed collagen also add several vitamins and nutrients into the test mixture as well.
Further studies are needed at this time.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed CollagenParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Water. 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