What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Betaine
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Phytate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Propanediol, Betaine, Squalane, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Beta-Glucan, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Phytate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Kunzea Pomifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSyzygium Luehmannii Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningLysolecithin
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPullulan
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Jasminum Grandiflorum Flower Extract
Masking
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Silica
Abrasive
Squalene
Emollient
Citral
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Kunzea Pomifera Fruit Extract, Syzygium Luehmannii Fruit Extract, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract, Sodium Levulinate, Lysolecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Anisate, Xanthan Gum, Pullulan, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Jasminum Grandiflorum Flower Extract, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Tocopherol, Lactic Acid, Beta-Sitosterol, Silica, Squalene, Citral, Geraniol, Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool
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 GlycerinSclerotium Gum is a natural sugar-based fiber made by fermenting a fungus called Sclerotium rolfsii. It's often used as the plant-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners like carbomer.
In skincare, it works as a thickener, gel former, and stabilizer that keeps heavy ingredients suspended so a product does not separate.
It is non-ionic and forms a triple helix in solution. This is just a fancy way of saying it builds a smooth, cushiony, and non-sticky gel that feels silkier than many other gums.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it is very sturdy and holds up across a wide pH range (~2-11). It's also good at resisting heat and hydrolysis.
Since it holds water at the skin surface, it can provide some light hydration as well.
Typical use levels are around 0.25-2%; formulators usually use 0.2-0.5% to thicken lotions and up to 2% for a firmer gel base.
This ingredient has been found safe in cosmetics with no meaningful evidence of skin sensitization.
Learn more about Sclerotium GumTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
