What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
PPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningTromethamine
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTetrasodium EDTA
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Tocopheryl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
CI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantIris Florentina Root Extract
MaskingBHT
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Tromethamine, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Adenosine, Sodium Tocopheryl Phosphate, Sodium Metabisulfite, CI 15985, Iris Florentina Root Extract, BHT, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinWater. 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
