What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Hexanoyl Dipeptide-3 Norleucine Acetate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Elastin
EmollientHydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningOleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
C12-15 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Lecithin
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Water, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium PCA, Hexanoyl Dipeptide-3 Norleucine Acetate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Hydrolyzed Silk, Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract, Oleanolic Acid, Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Pareth-12, Glycerin, Lecithin, Disodium EDTA, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sorbic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Amylopectin
Lithothamnion Calcareum Extract
Skin ConditioningBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Sphingolipids
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Bioflavonoids
Skin ConditioningBrassica Oleracea Italica Extract
AstringentSodium PCA
Humectant
Lysine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Threonine
Serine
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningLeucine
Skin ConditioningTyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcacia Senegal Gum
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Citrate
BufferingP-Anisic Acid
MaskingLactic Acid
Buffering
Water, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Ectoin, Amylopectin, Lithothamnion Calcareum Extract, Beta-Glucan, Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Bioflavonoids, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Sodium PCA, Lysine, Histidine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Proline, Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Acacia Senegal Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Citrate, P-Anisic Acid, Lactic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 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 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 GlycolSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateSodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.
Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.
As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.
There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.
Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.
It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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
