What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientDimethicone
Emollient
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Extract
Skin ConditioningTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Polysilicone-11
Disodium EDTA
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialBiosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Water, Propylene Glycol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Dimethicone, Ubiquinone, Phospholipids, Glycine Soja Extract, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Polysorbate 60, Polysilicone-11, Disodium EDTA, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitan Isostearate
Reviews
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 GlycerinUbiquinone (Coenzyme Q10) is a molecule already found in our bodies. It is a potent antioxidant and skin-soothing ingredient.
Aging and environmental exposure diminishes our skin's natural ubiquinone levels. This is much like our natural collagen and elastin.
The good news is: studies show applying this ingredient topically replenishes ubiquinone levels in our skin. This also comes with a ton of skin benefits. These benefits include:
Ubiquinone is considered a large molecule and cannot be absorbed into the lower layers of skin. This is why it is believed to be such an effective antioxidant: it protects our skin in the upper layers and prevents damage in the deeper layers.
When used in sunscreen, ubiquinone is shown to increase ingredient stability, increase SPF factor, and add to infrared protection.
Fun fact: ubiquinone is fat-soluble.
Learn more about UbiquinoneWater. 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
