What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Sphingolipids
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingP-Anisic Acid
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Phospholipids, Sphingolipids, Panthenol, Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, P-Anisic Acid, Tocopherol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Ammonium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Laureth-10
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ammonium Sulfate
Ammonium Chloride
BufferingMenthol
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingHydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingGlyoxal
Antimicrobial
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialWater, Glycolic Acid, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Phenoxyethanol, Glycol Distearate, Laureth-10, Caprylyl Glycol, Ammonium Sulfate, Ammonium Chloride, Menthol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Glyoxal, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol 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.
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 Water
