What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingRubus Idaeus Seed Oil
Emollient
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Limonene
Perfuming
Glycerin
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycine Soja Oil, Coco-Glucoside, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Gluconate, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Linalool, Tocopherol, Limonene, Glycerin, Citric Acid, CI 14700, CI 19140
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol
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.
Sodium 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 HydroxideTocopherol 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
