What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
Buffering
Urea
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTrehalose
Humectant
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Arnica Montana Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Urea
Buffering
Potassium Lactate
BufferingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Milk
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Lecithin
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Citral
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Urea, Potassium Lactate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Milk, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Propanediol, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Citral, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Coumarin, Citronellol, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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
