What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
HumectantDimethyl Isosorbide
SolventPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantEthoxydiglycol
HumectantLactic Acid
BufferingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Mandelic Acid
AntimicrobialRetinol
Skin ConditioningBakuchiol
AntimicrobialNephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningFerulic Acid
AntimicrobialSqualane
EmollientLinoleic Acid
CleansingSalicylic Acid
MaskingSalix Alba Bark Extract
AstringentPhospholipids
Skin ConditioningSoy Isoflavones
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSaccharide Isomerate
HumectantUbiquinone
AntioxidantSodium PCA
HumectantHexylresorcinol
AntimicrobialQuercetin
AntioxidantAdenosine
Skin ConditioningMorus Alba Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
BufferingMaltodextrin
AbsorbentXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Citric Acid
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeWater, Propylene Glycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Lactic Acid, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Mandelic Acid, Retinol, Bakuchiol, Nephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract, Ferulic Acid, Squalane, Linoleic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Phospholipids, Soy Isoflavones, Sodium Hyaluronate, Saccharide Isomerate, Ubiquinone, Sodium PCA, Hexylresorcinol, Quercetin, Adenosine, Morus Alba Bark Extract, Panthenol, Glycolic Acid, Maltodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Potassium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Phytate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate
Reviews
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 GlycerinPropylene 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