What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
EmulsifyingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingNiacinamide
SmoothingPropanediol
SolventMannitol
HumectantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeGlycerin
HumectantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningXylitol
HumectantPropylene Glycol
HumectantCetrimonium Bromide
AntimicrobialCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningUlva Lactuca Extract
Skin ConditioningBiosaccharide Gum-2
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Potassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingWater, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Hexylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Mannitol, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Allantoin, Xylitol, Propylene Glycol, Cetrimonium Bromide, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ulva Lactuca Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-2, Tetrasodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolWater. 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