What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingSolanum Lycopersicum Fruit Extract
AntioxidantSponge
EmollientArginine
MaskingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningCinnamomum Tamala Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
MaskingZea Mays Kernel Extract
Flower Extract
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
MaskingHydrolyzed Extensin
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Cymbopogon Nardus Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingElaeis Fruit Oil
EmollientSorbitan Oleate
EmulsifyingOenothera Biennis Flower Extract
AstringentPueraria Lobata Root Extract
HumectantPinus Pinaster Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningUlmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Collagen
EmollientHydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningDimethylsilanol Hyaluronate
HumectantBellis Perennis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
HumectantPotassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol
HumectantSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantGlycine
BufferingGlutamic Acid
HumectantLeucine
Skin ConditioningMethionine
Skin ConditioningValine
MaskingSerine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingAlanine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
MaskingProline
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantTaurine
BufferingOrnithine
Skin ConditioningOak Root Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Glycol
SolventPolyglyceryl-4 Laurate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-2 Stearate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-6 Laurate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
EmollientCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyisobutene
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Chloride
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingPotassium Phosphate
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Solanum Lycopersicum Fruit Extract, Sponge, Arginine, Adenosine, Cinnamomum Tamala Leaf Extract, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Zea Mays Kernel Extract, Flower Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Extensin, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Panthenol, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Cymbopogon Nardus Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Elaeis Fruit Oil, Sorbitan Oleate, Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Pinus Pinaster Leaf Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Bellis Perennis Flower Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Potassium Hyaluronate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hyaluronate Dimethylsilanol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Leucine, Methionine, Valine, Serine, Aspartic Acid, Alanine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Histidine, Taurine, Ornithine, Oak Root Extract, Benzyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyisobutene, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Disodium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate, 1,2-Hexanediol
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantGlycereth-26
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingEthylhexyl Palmitate
EmollientAllium Cepa Bulb Extract
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantSorbitan Sesquioleate
EmulsifyingPropanediol
SolventSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Olivate
Hydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantVinyldimethicone
Polyisobutene
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Sponge
Skin ConditioningTromethamine
BufferingSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSorbitan Oleate
EmulsifyingZea Mays Kernel Extract
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantPortulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin ConditioningFructan
Skin ConditioningGlucose
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Collagen
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningMadecassoside
AntioxidantDecyl Glucoside
CleansingPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPhosphatidylcholine
EmulsifyingEctoin
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningResveratrol
AntioxidantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion StabilisingWater, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Niacinamide, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Allium Cepa Bulb Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Propanediol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Olivate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Vinyldimethicone, Polyisobutene, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydrolyzed Sponge, Tromethamine, Sodium Polyacrylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sorbitan Oleate, Zea Mays Kernel Extract, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Fructan, Glucose, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Panthenol, Madecassoside, Decyl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phosphatidylcholine, Ectoin, Ceramide NP, Resveratrol, Allantoin, Beta-Sitosterol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.
Adenosine has many benefits when used. These benefits include hydrating the skin, smoothing skin, and reducing wrinkles. Once applied, adenosine increases collagen production. It also helps with improving firmness and tissue repair.
Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.
In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.
Learn more about AdenosineButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolThis ingredient is a mild surfactant made by sticking glucose onto a blend of fatty acids.
It does two jobs because it has a sugar head that loves water and a fatty tail that loves oil:
Typical use levels range from 10-20% in cleansers and 15-30% in shower products.
Once on your skin, your skin's glucoside hydrolases breaks it down into glucose and the parent fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe because its fatty alcohol portion sits outside the Malassezia yeast's metabolization range.
Learn more about Caprylyl/Capryl GlucosideEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidHydrolyzed Collagen is Collagen (usually sourced from fish, bovine, or porcine byproducts) that's been broken down into smaller peptides. This makes it water-soluble and easy to blend into formulations.
In a formula, it works mainly as a skin-conditioning and moisturizing agent.
The small peptides and amino acids (including Natural Moisturizing Factor components like Hydroxyproline, Serine, and Aspartic Acid) help the surface of the skin hold onto water, feel softer, and look temporarily plumper.
This ingredient also has mild film-forming and antioxidant properties with research showing the antioxidant effect is stronger the lower the molecular weight of the peptides.
It's worth being realistic here:
Topically applied Hydrolyzed Collagen conditions the upper layers of skin rather than rebuilding the structural collagen deep in your dermis (the wrinkle-and-firmness benefits people associate with Collagen mostly come from oral supplements in studies, not topicals).
However, recent lab and skin-model work on Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen has shown promising effects on cell viability and wound healing when used as an active.
Typical concentrations range from 0.2-2%, but the percentage can go much higher in rinse-off or hair products (sometimes even above 50%).
Clinical studies on this ingredient showed no irritation, sensitization, or phototoxicity.
If you are looking for vegan collagen, it usually goes by a different INCI name like hydrolyzed soy protein. Vegan collagen is derived from yeast, bacteria, or plant sources.
The results are varied.
A study from 2021 found hydrolyzed collagen increased elasticity and improved wrinkles in 1,125 participants between age 20 and 70. Another study found increased skin thickness in participants between the ages of 45 to 59.
However, It is difficult to prove that oral collagen will end up working on your skin. Many of the studies using hydrolyzed collagen also add several vitamins and nutrients into the test mixture as well.
Further studies are needed at this time.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed CollagenHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamidePanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPolyisobutene is a synthetic polymer made from isobutene.
It is a film-forming agent and helps bind ingredients together.
Polyisobutene is not absorbed by the skin.
Learn more about PolyisobuteneThis long ingredient is a copolymer of sodium acrylate and sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate monomers.
It is used to help stabilize other ingredients and create a thicker gel-like texture.
Emulsifiers prevent oils and waters from separating.
Learn more about Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate CopolymerSodium 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 HyaluronateSorbitan Oleate is a PEG-free emulsifier made by esterifying sorbitol with oleic acid.
You'll likely see it paired with Polysorbate 80 to create the right emulsification balance.
Typical use levels in formulas range from 2-10%.
The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as a cosmetic ingredient.
Since this ingredient is an ester of oleic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. Oleic acid is a fatty acid that falls into the C11-24 range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Sorbitan OleateWater. 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 WaterThis ingredient is also known as corn kernel extract. It is used to improve the texture of products as a binding and bulking agent.
Depending on how it is extract, this ingredient can also contain naturally occurring compounds that are studied for antioxidant activity.
Lab research on specialized corn kernel extracts have shown increase collagen deposition in fibroblast cell models; however, human clinical data is needed to support this.
Learn more about Zea Mays Kernel Extract