What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate 4.5%
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Betaine
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hexylglycerin
HumectantHydroxydecyl Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Viscum Album Extract
Skin Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate 4.5%, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethoxydiglycol, Carbomer, Arginine, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Betaine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Niacinamide, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexylglycerin, Hydroxydecyl Ubiquinone, Viscum Album Extract, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol
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.
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 preservatives
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolEthoxydiglycol (aka Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether) is one of the cosmetic world's quiet problem solvers.
In a formula, it is a solvent that dissolves tricky ingredients that don't want to mix in and helps spread ingredients evenly across your skin without leaving a greasy or sticky feeling
This makes it great for hard-to-dissolve actives like vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, and self-tanner DHA.
It also has mild humectant and penetration enhancer abilities so it can help some actives absorb a little deeper.
The penetration boost is backed by lab research: studies using human skin samples found it improved how well an active dissolves into the upper layer of skin rather than tearing down your skin barrier. Reviews of its mechanism also describe it interacting gently with the lipids and water in your outermost layer of skin.
Just know this penetration-enhancing effect is not universal. It helps a lot in some formulas and did very little in others (so the benefit really depends on the specific product).
Safety-wise, the evidence is reassuring. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel reviewed it and concluded it's safe for use in cosmetics and recognized it as non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-comedogenic in skincare.
Typical leave-on skincare usage lands around 1-10%. The EU has sets caps of 2.6% in non-spray products, 10% in rinse-offs, 7% in oxidative hair dye, and 5% in non-oxidative hair dye.
Learn more about EthoxydiglycolWater. 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
