What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Agave Americana Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAnhydroxylitol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Agave Americana Stem Extract, Propanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Cellulose Gum, Allantoin, Caffeine, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xylitylglucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Anhydroxylitol, Niacinamide, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xylitol, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Snail Secretion Filtrate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hexylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Allantoin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Reviews
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 AllantoinDisodium 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenonePolyglyceryl-10 Laurate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier.
It rounds up dirt, oil, and grime, so they can be rinsed off easily as a cleanser.
On the emulsifier side, it keeps your formula smooth and well-mixed by playing peacekeeper for ingredients that don't naturally get along (like oil and water).
Because it has a C12 (lauric acid) fatty acid chain, this ingredient can potentially feed the Malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne. The Malassezia yeast prefers esters with C11-C24 fatty acids.
This ingredient is an ester of lauric acid and Polyglycerin-10.
Learn more about Polyglyceryl-10 LauratePolyglyceryl-10 Myristate is a nonionic emulsifier and skin conditioner made from Polyglycerin-10 and Myristic Acid.
As a skin conditioning agent, this ingredient leaves skin feeling soft without a greasy finish. As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions.
You'll likely see this ingredient in "clean" formulations because it's considered a natural alternative to PEGs.
Patch testing at concentration 0.1-1% showed no reactions and this ingredient is considered to be well-tolerated across skin types.
Due to its myristic acid base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polyglyceryl-10 MyristateSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
