What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propanediol
Solvent
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPullulan
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Fucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Pullulan, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Gluconolactone, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Vegetable Oil
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Petrolatum
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Euphrasia Officinalis Extract
AntimicrobialTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPvm/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyquaternium-24
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDiazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
CI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vegetable Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Petrolatum, Ceteareth-20, Tocopherol, Hyaluronic Acid, Euphrasia Officinalis Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Polyquaternium-24, Sodium Chloride, Diazolidinyl Urea, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, CI 19140, CI 15985
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 GlycerinChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
