What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Pentaerythrityl Distearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingXanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Octyldodecanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone, Niacinamide, Linolenic Acid, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Persea Gratissima Oil, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Squalane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Linoleic Acid, Carbomer, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Oleic Acid, Ceramide NP, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Stearic Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Carbomer 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 CarbomerChlorphenesin is a synthetic preservative. It helps protect a product against bacteria in order to extend shelf life. In most cases, Chlorphenesin is paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol.
Chlorphenesin is a biocide. This means it is able to help fight the microorganisms on our skin. It is also able to fight odor-releasing bacteria.
Chlorphenesin is soluble in both water and glycerin.
Studies show Chlorphenesin is easily absorbed by our skin. You should speak with a skincare professional if you have concerns about using Chlorphenesin.
Learn more about ChlorphenesinGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
