What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantPropanediol
SolventDipropylene Glycol
HumectantAcetyl Glucosamine
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Tetrapeptide-5
HumectantMyristoyl Nonapeptide-3
Skin ConditioningDipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin ConditioningEpigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
AntioxidantGallyl Glucoside
AntioxidantFraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningSilanetriol
Arginine
MaskingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningHydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone
Skin ConditioningPropyl Gallate
AntioxidantMaltodextrin
AbsorbentHydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingGlycolic Acid
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Dehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Acetyl Glucosamine, Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Caffeine, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Gallyl Glucoside, Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract, Silanetriol, Arginine, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Decanone, Propyl Gallate, Maltodextrin, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 20, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Water
Skin ConditioningShea Butter Ethyl Esters
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientAlbizia Julibrissin Bark Extract
MaskingDarutoside
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
AntimicrobialTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
AntioxidantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantAscophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningAsparagopsis Armata Extract
Skin ProtectingTocopherol
AntioxidantBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Darutoside, Alcohol Denat., Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Tocopherol, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholDehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
Learn more about Dehydroacetic AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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