What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ceteareth-20
CleansingDimethicone
Emollient
PEG-8
HumectantPEG-8/Smdi Copolymer
Palmitoyl Myristyl Serinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Triethanolamine
BufferingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ceteareth-20, Dimethicone, PEG-8, PEG-8/Smdi Copolymer, Palmitoyl Myristyl Serinate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Butylene Glycol, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Triethanolamine, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, CI 19140
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantMethyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Dipentaerythrityl Hexa C5-9 Acid Esters
Skin ConditioningPentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPalmitoyl Dipeptide-10
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glucose
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Water, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Centella Asiatica Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Dipropylene Glycol, Methyl Trimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dipentaerythrityl Hexa C5-9 Acid Esters, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Sodium Hyaluronate, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Madecassoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Caprylyl Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Panthenol, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Ceramide NP, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glucose, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Reviews
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 GlycolThis ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
