What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyacrylamide
Tromethamine
BufferingC13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Algae Extract
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Betaine, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Bisabolol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carbomer, Polyacrylamide, Tromethamine, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Laureth-7, Hydrolyzed Algae Extract, Disodium EDTA, Ceramide NP, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Caprylyl Glycol, Caffeine, N-Prolyl Palmitoyl Tripeptide-56 Acetate, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Copper Gluconate, 1,2-Hexanediol
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMethylparaben
Preservative
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Methylpropanediol
SolventSodium Lactate
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Serine
Masking
Urea
Buffering
Sorbitol
Humectant
Butylparaben
Masking
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Propylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingChamomilla Recutita Extract
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Squalane, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Pentylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, Sodium Lactate, Lactic Acid, Serine, Urea, Sorbitol, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Parfum, Propylparaben, Sodium Chloride, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Allantoin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCarbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
