What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Extract
EmollientCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Spirulina Maxima Extract
SmoothingHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Colloidal Gold
AntimicrobialCoffea Arabica Husk Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMica
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Water, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Carbomer, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Alcohol, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Citrus Limon Peel Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Colloidal Gold, Coffea Arabica Husk Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract
EmollientZingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Beta Vulgaris Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
HumectantAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Zingiber Officinale Root Oil
Masking
Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Oil
Masking
Myrtus Communis Oil
Masking
Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
Masking
Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingTerpineol Acetate
MaskingLinalyl Acetate
Masking
Geranyl Acetate
Perfuming
CI 75120
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Alteromonas Ferment Filtrate, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Allantoin, Sodium PCA, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Oil, Myrtus Communis Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Leaf Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Lactic Acid, P-Anisic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Terpineol Acetate, Linalyl Acetate, Geranyl Acetate, CI 75120
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 GlycolCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerDisodium 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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
