What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDihydroxyacetone
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
PPG-5-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingBetaine
Humectant
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Poloxamer 338
EmulsifyingPPG-12/Smdi Copolymer
EmollientHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Decylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningGeraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
C12-13 Pareth-23
CleansingC12-13 Pareth-3
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Water, Dihydroxyacetone, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Coco-Glucoside, Isopentyldiol, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Betaine, Sodium Metabisulfite, Poloxamer 338, PPG-12/Smdi Copolymer, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Tocopherol, Caprylyl Glycol, Decylene Glycol, Geraniol, Linalool, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantDimethicone
Emollient
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Yeast Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Eos
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract
AstringentHydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Caprooyl Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Sphingosine
Skin ConditioningSaccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment
Saccharomyces/Iron Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ceteareth-25
CleansingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Cyclohexasiloxane, Yeast Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Eos, Ceramide AP, Ceramide NP, Ceramide Ns, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Sodium PCA, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Saccharide Isomerate, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Iron Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Methyl Gluceth-20, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lauryl PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Cholesterol, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Behenic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Ceteareth-25, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone/PEG-10/15 Crosspolymer, Cetyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Mica
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 a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Propylene 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 GlycolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
