What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningHuman Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-7 Triacetate
EmollientShea Butter Ethyl Esters
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantEthoxydiglycol
HumectantLactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningWhey Protein
Skin ConditioningChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
HumectantDimer Tripeptide-43
Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract
MaskingPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantPropanediol
SolventXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingPolyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin ConditioningLecithin
EmollientPullulan
Butylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Citrate
BufferingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Pentylene Glycol, Human Neonatal Fibroblast Conditioned Media, Glycereth-7 Triacetate, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Glycerin, Ethoxydiglycol, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Whey Protein, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Dimer Tripeptide-43, Vitis Vinifera Flower Cell Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Sclerotium Gum, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Lecithin, Pullulan, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantMethylpropanediol
SolventAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialDimethicone
EmollientIsocetyl Stearoyl Stearate
EmollientCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMalonic Acid
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Amodimethicone
Zinc Carbonate
Copper Carbonate Hydroxide
AntimicrobialT-Butyl Alcohol
PerfumingParfum
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Alcohol Denat., Dimethicone, Isocetyl Stearoyl Stearate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Carbomer, Malonic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Amodimethicone, Zinc Carbonate, Copper Carbonate Hydroxide, T-Butyl Alcohol, 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.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6 is a texture enhancer and pH adjuster.
It is be used to thicken water-based products and create a gel-texture with a velvet feel.
One manufacturer claims this ingredient to have a pH range of 2-8 and to be biodegradable.
This ingredient is also known as Sepimax Zen.
Learn more about Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6Water. 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