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 Conditioning
Betaine
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
Emollient
Zanthoxylum 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 Conditioning
Ziziphus Jujuba Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOphiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCentaurea Cyanus Flower Extract
Astringent
Prunus Mume Extract
Antioxidant
Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract
Masking
Rehmannia Glutinosa Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGanoderma Lucidum Extract
Skin Protecting
Phellodendron 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.
The "denat" part just means "denatured"; common denaturants include Denatonium Benzoate, t-butyl alcohol, and Diethyl Phthalate. This step makes the alcohol undrinkable (and lets brand skip taxes related to beverage alcohol).
This ingredient gets a bad rep because it is irritating and drying due to its astringent property. Astringents draw out natural oils in tissue to constrict pores and dry out your skin.
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 this ingredient will probably not affect your skin much if it is near the end of an ingredients list.
One thing to note:
People with ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) deficiency may experience skin irritation from continued alcohol use. About 8% of the world's population have this deficiency.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has determined denatured alcohols to be safe for use in concentrations between 0.05% and 12% (depending on which denaturant is used).
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.
Look for formulas that contain glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or panthenol if you want to offset any drying effect.
This ingredient will trip away your skin's natural oils/lipids that help it lock in moisture. This can worsen dryness, trigger eczema flare-ups, and aggravate rosacea.
Be sure to patch test any product with this ingredient if you have dry or sensitive skin, eczema, or rosacea.
Learn more about Alcohol Denat.Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as 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 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 CarbomerDipropylene 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 (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 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. Remember to 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
