What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Steartrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Camellia Seed Oil
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
SurfactantRoyal Jelly Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Max Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPPG-20
Skin ConditioningDecyltetradeceth-10
EmulsifyingIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingAmmonium Lactate
Buffering
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Amodimethicone
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
PPG-2-Deceth-12
EmulsifyingMethylparaben
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Sodium Lactate, Steartrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Lactic Acid, Camellia Seed Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Royal Jelly Extract, Glycine Max Seed Extract, PPG-20, Decyltetradeceth-10, Isopropyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Ammonium Lactate, Butylene Glycol, Amodimethicone, Tocopherol, PPG-2-Deceth-12, Methylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Amodimethicone
Glycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingDicocodimonium Chloride
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Steartrimonium Chloride
Preservative
PEG-200 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Creatine
Skin ConditioningCetearamidoethyl Diethonium Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
HumectantPropanediol
Solvent
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Gamma-Docosalactone
Skin ConditioningPhytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Ceteth-20
CleansingIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Water, Alcohol, Amodimethicone, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Dimethicone, Sodium Citrate, Dicocodimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Steartrimonium Chloride, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Creatine, Cetearamidoethyl Diethonium Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Propanediol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Chloride, Gamma-Docosalactone, Phytosterols, Ceteth-20, Isopropyl Alcohol
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This water-soluble silicone is used for its hydrating and softening properties. It is used to add a silky feel to skincare products and has great benefits for haircare.
In haircare, this ingredient:
- Adds shine
- Protects color
- Offers thermal protection
- Boosts hair strength
- Does not build up as easily
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 GlycerinIsopropyl Alcohol is a small, fast-evaporating alcohol.
Formulators use it as a solvent, a way to think out thick liquids, an antifoaming agent, and occasionally a fragrance ingredient.
Reported use concentrations run from 0.002%-100% and any number over 50% usually comes from a nail product.
Actual skincare numbers run much lower: cleansers (0.3-26%), toners (0.07-7%), face moisturizers (0.04-0.2%).
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel reviewed it and concluded it is safe in the present practices of use and the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as a non-carcinogenic to humans.
True allergy to this ingredient is uncommon but real: 44 out of 1,450 patients patch tested between 1992-2011 reacted with most cases clustering in people with leg ulcers, occupational hand eczema, or repeated use of Isopropyl Alcohol on already-broken skin.
Irritation and dryness are far more likely than allergy; before you throw away your skincare, just know this is dose-dependent and the risk is modest.
The irritant potential of the alcohols used in hand antiseptics is very low and skin irritation is significantly lower after alcohol application than after detergents (though isopropanol is somewhat more irritating than ethanol).
A 70% solution was a severe eye irritant in rabbit eye tests so the industry keeps this ingredient at low percentages in eye-area products.
One genuine caution: a 70% solution was a severe eye irritant in rabbit eye tests, so it belongs at low percentages in eye-area products, which is where the industry already keeps it.
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Learn more about Isopropyl AlcoholPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolSteartrimonium Chloride is a preservative.
Water. 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
