What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Methyl Gluceth-10
EmulsifyingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantBetaine
Humectant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Cyclodextrin
AbsorbentPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Metaphosphate
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Chloride
PCA
Humectant
Calcium Chloride
AstringentWater, Butylene Glycol, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Methyl Gluceth-10, Dipropylene Glycol, Betaine, Methylparaben, Cyclodextrin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Metaphosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Parfum, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Hydroxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine Hcl, Magnesium Chloride, PCA, Calcium Chloride
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin
HumectantTrehalose
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-20
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract
EmollientZanthoxylum Piperitum Peel Extract
AntimicrobialPaeonia Albiflora Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Extract
Skin ConditioningPoria Cocos Extract
Skin ConditioningPinellia Ternata Tuber Extract
Skin ConditioningLilium Candidum Bulb Extract
Skin ConditioningJasminum Sambac Flower Extract
Masking
Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract
Skin ConditioningZiziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOphiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCentaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
AstringentPrunus Mume Extract
Antioxidant
Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract
MaskingRehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGanoderma Lucidum Extract
Skin ProtectingPhellodendron Amurense Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningPanax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Methylparaben
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin, Trehalose, Pentylene Glycol, Betaine, PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-20, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Peel Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Pinellia Ternata Tuber Extract, Lilium Candidum Bulb Extract, Jasminum Sambac Flower Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract, Prunus Mume Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Extract, Methylparaben, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alcohol Denat. is an alcohol with a denaturant property. It is created by mixing ethanol with other additives.
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying - mostly due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue, constricting pores and leaving your skin dried out.
However, alcohol denat. is not all that bad.
Due to its low molecular weight, alcohol denat. tends to evaporate quickly. One study on pig skin found half of applied alcohol evaporated in 10 seconds and less than 3% stayed on skin.
This also helps other ingredients become better absorbed upon application.
Studies are conflicted about whether this ingredient causes skin dehydration. One study from 2005 found adding emollients to propanol-based sanitizer decreased skin dryness and irritation. Another study found irritation only occurs if your skin is already damaged.
Small amounts of alcohol are generally tolerated by oily skin or people who live in humid environments.
The rule of thumb is if this alcohol is near the end of an ingredients list, it will probably not affect your skin much.
Also...
This ingredient has antimicrobial and solvent properties.
The antimicrobial property helps preserve products and increase their shelf life. As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.
This ingredient is best for improving hydration and soothing irritated skin. Studies also show it helps even out skin tone.
Fun fact: Betaine is naturally created in the skin and body. The kind found within cosmetic products can be either plant-derived or synthetic.
Another name for betaine is trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineButylene 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 polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create a gel consistency.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolGlycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
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 MethylparabenPhenoxyethanol 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.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideWater. 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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
