What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Tartaric Acid
Buffering
Chondrus Crispus Powder
Abrasive
Ceratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Carrageenan
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAgar
MaskingPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Polyacrylic Acid
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Potassium Chloride
Aluminum Glycinate
AstringentSodium Phytate
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Sodium PCA, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Caffeine, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Tartaric Acid, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carrageenan, Xanthan Gum, Agar, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Polyacrylic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Potassium Chloride, Aluminum Glycinate, Sodium Phytate, Chlorphenesin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Carrageenan
Glucomannan
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ceratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Gellan Gum
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sucrose
Humectant
Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Calcium Chloride
AstringentPropanediol
Solvent
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Collagen
Moisturising
Squalane
Emollient
Arginine
Masking
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantSodium DNA
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phyllostachys Pubescens Shoot Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Silica
Abrasive
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin Conditioning
Retinal
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Carrageenan, Glucomannan, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Gellan Gum, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sucrose, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Caffeine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Adenosine, Calcium Chloride, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Collagen, Squalane, Arginine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, CI 77491, Sodium DNA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Phyllostachys Pubescens Shoot Bark Extract, Glycine Soja Sterols, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Silica, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Retinal
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 GlycolCaffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineCarrageenan comes from red seaweed or algae. It is made up of polysaccharides and a highly flexible compound. Red algae cell walls are rich in carrageenan.
In cosmetics, it helps to thicken the texture. Studies show carrageenan extracted from red algae possess antioxidant properties. Components found in carrageenan include: lipids, fatty acids, Vitamin E, proteins, and several amino acids.
Learn more about different types of algae.
Carrageenan is also commonly used in medicine and food. It is a vegan alternative to animal-based gelatin.
Learn more about CarrageenanCeratonia Siliqua Gum is extracted from the seeds of the carob tree. You might know this ingredient as Carob Gum or Locust Bean Gum. It is used to stabilize other ingredients and improve the texture of products.
Carob gum is made up of long-chain polysaccharides. This makes it a natural thickener.
Yes! This ingredient comes from the seeds of a tree. The name 'Locust Bean Gum' can be misleading.
Learn more about Ceratonia Siliqua GumGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
