What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Dimethicone
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Glycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantDiphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Diisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientPEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Bis-Butyldimethicone Polyglyceryl-3
Cleansing
PEG-10 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Talc
Abrasive
Hydrated Silica
Abrasive
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientSilica
Abrasive
Diphenyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Erythritol
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Magnesium Aluminometasilicate
AbsorbentGlutathione
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrogen Dimethicone
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Metaphosphate
BufferingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Myrtus Communis Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dimethicone, Water, Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Diisopropyl Sebacate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Bis-Butyldimethicone Polyglyceryl-3, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Talc, Hydrated Silica, Aluminum Hydroxide, Silica, Diphenyl Dimethicone, Erythritol, Trehalose, Xylitol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Magnesium Aluminometasilicate, Glutathione, Polyquaternium-51, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Metaphosphate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Metabisulfite, Myrtus Communis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningHomosalate
Skin Conditioning
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Ethylhexyl Salicylate
UV Absorber
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Tapioca Starch
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventSilica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Carnitine
Cleansing
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingTrisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Homosalate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Octocrylene, Alcohol Denat., Tapioca Starch, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Cyclomethicone, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Methylpropanediol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Glycerin, Carnitine, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Trisodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
