What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantGuanosine
Skin ConditioningMica
Cosmetic ColorantTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Linseed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Phenylethyl Resorcinol
Antioxidant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingSilica Silylate
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingLimonene
Perfuming
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTin Oxide
Abrasive
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Isohexadecane
Emollient3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Geraniol
Perfuming
Octocrylene
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Octyldodecyl Xyloside
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Citronellol
Perfuming
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Alcohol, Niacinamide, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Pentylene Glycol, CI 77891, Guanosine, Mica, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydrolyzed Linseed Extract, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Phenylethyl Resorcinol, Stearic Acid, Adenosine, Caffeine, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Silica Silylate, Palmitic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Polysorbate 80, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Limonene, Xanthan Gum, Tin Oxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Isohexadecane, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Boron Nitride, Ferulic Acid, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Oleate, Myristic Acid, Geraniol, Octocrylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Octyldodecanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Octyldodecyl Xyloside, Citric Acid, Citronellol, Glyceryl Stearate, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ferulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant that can be naturally found in the cell walls of grains like rice, oats, and corn. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and has the ability to boost the performance of other antioxidants as well.
A well-known study found that adding Ferulic Acid to a solution of Vitamins C and E doubled the photoprotection of skin. This is why you'll often see it paired with Vitamin C or Vitamin E serums rather than sold on its own.
A 2025 review of 18 human studies found that using Ferulic Acid (0.5-1%) daily for one to three months showed improvements in:
As far as allergies go, Ferulic acid is generally well-tolerated but can cause an allergic reaction in very rare cases. It's also worth noting that Ferulic acid is often extracted from plant sources like rice bran or wheat bran, so be sure to path test if you have known grain allergies.
Outside of skincare, researchers are also looking into Ferulic Acid for its potential benefits in areas like diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart health.
Learn more about Ferulic AcidGlycerin (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 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.
Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
