What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Glycine
Buffering
Larix Europaea Wood Extract
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Extract
Antioxidant
Zinc Chloride
AntimicrobialLimonene
Perfuming
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Sinensis Peel Extract
Perfuming
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycine
Buffering
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Larix Europaea Wood Extract
HumectantLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Vanillyl Butyl Ether
MaskingZinc Chloride
AntimicrobialLimonene, Polysorbate 80, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Sinensis Peel Extract, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Water, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycine, Glycine Soja Oil, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Linalool, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Vanillyl Butyl Ether, Zinc Chloride
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 GlycerinGlycine is the smallest amino acid and a key building block of collagen. It's part if your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
A study from 2022 found that an amino acid complex featuring taurine, arginine, and glycine significantly reduced skin irritation, improved redness, and accelerated the skin repair process.
Larix Europaea is a larch tree native to Europe.
It’s one of the key ingredients in Redensyl, an alternative to Minoxidil for hair growth. Redensyl works by targeting stem cells and fibroblasts from the top, inner layer of your skin.
The bark of Larix Europaea is rich in antioxidants and plant compounds such as flavonoids, spiro-polyphenols, and procyanidins.
Flavonoids are naturally occurring compounds found in many plantsand foods like tea, wine, and chocolate. They’re known for their strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Larix Europaea Wood ExtractPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolSodium metabisulfite is also known as Sodium Pyrosulfite. It is a preservative, antioxidant, and disinfectant.
As a preservative, it helps stabilize cosmetic formulas without affecting their color or scent.
Water. 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 WaterZinc chloride is a white crystalline compound. You'll most likely see it in personal care products such as mouthwashes, skincare, hair conditioners, and bath products.
