What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
SurfactantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Chamomilla Recutita Extract
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Potassium Benzoate
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolyquaternium-67
Sodium Acetate
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Malachite Extract
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Trehalose, Tocopherol, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Potassium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Polyquaternium-67, Sodium Acetate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Malachite Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingLauryl Betaine
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingTrihydroxystearin
Skin Conditioning
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyquaternium-7
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Lauryl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Trihydroxystearin, Glycol Distearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyquaternium-7, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Allantoin, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glutamic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Panthenol
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
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.
As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.
Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is a modified starch used to help thicken a product.
It is also used in foods.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
