What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Triethanolamine
BufferingXylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBetaine
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlucose
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Beta-Glucan is a soluble polysaccharide (a chain of glucose sugars) sourced from the cells walls of oats, baker's yeast, mushrooms, and seaweed.
It's a rare ingredient that pulls double-duty as a heavy-duty hydrator and skin-soothing repair agent.
On the surface, it acts as a humectant that holds water in place and reduces moisture loss for a plumper, smoother feel, while its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties make it a great pick for calming redness or sensitive skin
The more interesting story is underneath:
Despite its large molecular size, oat beta-glucan has been shown to penetrate the epidermis and reach the dermis by slipping between skin cells. Here, it interacts with fibroblasts and macrophages to nudge collagen synthesis and support wound repair.
A small 2005 split-face clinical study of 27 subjects found topical beta-glucan produced measurable reductions in wrinkle depth, height, and roughness after 8 weeks of use.
It is worth noting the trial was small and the penetration testing used frozen, irradiated skin so the anti-aging data is encouraging rather than definitive.
This ingredient gets along with pretty much everything and is typically used around 0.1-1%.
Fungal acne: This ingredient is not a food source for the Malassezia yeast because it is a glucose polysaccharide with no fatty acid or ester component.
Learn more about Beta-GlucanCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolHydrolyzed Soy Protein is a water-soluble blend of peptides and amino acids made by breaking down the protein from soybeans into smaller proteins.
It's the most widely used hydrolyzed vegetable protein in cosmetics and it acts mainly as a skin and hair conditioning agent.
The smaller fragments are water-loving so it forms a thin, moisture-retentive film on skin that helps reduce water loss and leaves things feeling softer and smoother.
You'll often see it credited with "firming" or "anti-aging" benefits as well; this claim traces back to lab research like Tokudome et al. (2012). This study added low-molecular-weight soybean peptides to cultured human skin fibroblasts and saw increased type I collagen gene expression + collagen content.
The caveat is that this is in-vitro and oral-peptide research so the only solid, well-established role for the topical ingredient is skin conditioning.
Typical use concentrations go up to 3.5% in mascara but this ingredient is typically used at low levels well under 1%.
It has a reassuring safety profile as well; it's not a skin irritant in testing up to 20% and has limited skin penetration due to its large size and water-loving nature.
Anyone with a known soy allergy should definitely patch test or skip this ingredient. There's also a single case of a soy-containing product aggravating rosacea via protein contact dermatitis, but this is very rare.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Soy ProteinWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
