What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Amorphophallus Konjac Root Powder
Abrasive
Glucomannan
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
EmollientOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate
CleansingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Phytate
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Isostearate
Skin Conditioning
Dextrin
AbsorbentHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin Conditioning
Linalool
Perfuming
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Vincetoxicum Atratum Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventInositol
Humectant
Soluble Collagen
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Quercetin
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Amorphophallus Konjac Root Powder, Glucomannan, Citric Acid, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Sodium Phytate, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Polyglyceryl-10 Isostearate, Dextrin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Hexylene Glycol, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Linalool, Butylene Glycol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Sodium Citrate, Ceramide NP, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Vincetoxicum Atratum Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Methylpropanediol, Inositol, Soluble Collagen, Arginine, Quercetin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXylitol
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Pinus Pinaster Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingGlycoproteins
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tromethamine
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Dipropylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sorbitol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Pinus Pinaster Leaf Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Glycoproteins, Hydroxyacetophenone, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Madecassoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Tromethamine
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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 GlycolCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
