What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Squalane
Emollient
Soymilk Isoflavones
Antioxidant
Rhizopus/Soybean Ferment Extract Filtrate
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCyclodextrin
AbsorbentStearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingGlycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Alcohol, Squalane, Soymilk Isoflavones, Rhizopus/Soybean Ferment Extract Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, Arginine, Carbomer, Cyclodextrin, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycine Soja Protein, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Beeswax, Methylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Elastin
EmollientTetrapeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Lactobacillus
Skin ConditioningPhytosteryl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning
Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Diglycerin
Humectant
Pullulan
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Isohexadecane
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-11
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer
PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Triethanolamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Tetrapeptide-5, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Lactobacillus, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Squalane, Diglycerin, Pullulan, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-51, Isohexadecane, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-11, Hydroxyethyl/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Ammonium Acrylates Copolymer, PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben
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 GlycolCarbomer 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 CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
