What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningIsododecane
EmollientCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Talc
Abrasive
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Acrylates Crosspolymer
AbsorbentDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Sulfate
Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone
Emollient
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer
Tribehenin
Emollient
Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate
Emollient
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingAlumina
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Trihydroxystearin
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Propylene Carbonate
SolventXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Disodium Deceth-6 Sulfosuccinate
CleansingSilica
Abrasive
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Laureth-30
CleansingSodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Trehalose
Humectant
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPolyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Triacetin
AntimicrobialSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Water, Isododecane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Butylene Glycol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Talc, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Acrylates Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Magnesium Sulfate, Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone, Boron Nitride, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, Tribehenin, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Lecithin, Laureth-7, Alumina, Phenoxyethanol, Trihydroxystearin, Chlorphenesin, Propylene Carbonate, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Deceth-6 Sulfosuccinate, Silica, Sodium PCA, Urea, Laureth-30, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Trehalose, Hexylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-51, Caprylyl Glycol, Triacetin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
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
