What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
EmollientAloe Ferox Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningBioflavonoids
Skin ConditioningBrassica Oleracea Italica Extract
AstringentSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Tea-Cocoyl Glutamate, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Propanediol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Bioflavonoids, Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Disodium EDTA
Xanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Squalane, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Panthenol, Allantoin, Octyldodecanol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Bisabolol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin
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
Disodium 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 GlycerinJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilSodium 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
