What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantStearic Acid
CleansingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientBetula Alba Bud Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Max Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSilica
AbrasiveTocopherol
AntioxidantCoconut Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
EmollientPalmitic Acid
EmollientPolysorbate 80
EmulsifyingSoy Isoflavones
Skin ConditioningLauric Acid
CleansingCholesteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningDiglycerin
HumectantPolyquaternium-10
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingMaltitol
HumectantPentasodium Pentetate
Decyl Glucoside
CleansingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantLecithin
EmollientMilk Ferment
Skin ConditioningWater, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Glycine Soja Oil, Betula Alba Bud Extract, Glycine Max Seed Extract, Silica, Tocopherol, Coconut Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters, Palmitic Acid, Polysorbate 80, Soy Isoflavones, Lauric Acid, Cholesteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Diglycerin, Polyquaternium-10, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Maltitol, Pentasodium Pentetate, Decyl Glucoside, Dipropylene Glycol, Lecithin, Milk Ferment
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingParfum
MaskingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantLactic Acid
BufferingPanax Ginseng Root Water
Masking1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningBupleurum Chinense Root Extract
AstringentAngelica Acutiloba Root Extract
Skin ConditioningOphiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Coco-Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Parfum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Butylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Panax Ginseng Root Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Bupleurum Chinense Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Tocopherol
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 GlycolCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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