What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPvp
Emulsion StabilisingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Poloxamer 407
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Linalool
Perfuming
Water
Skin ConditioningCitrus Nobilis Fruit Extract
MaskingPropanediol
Solvent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isododecane
EmollientEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingMica
Cosmetic ColorantVp/Va Copolymer
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCitric Acid
Buffering
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Calcium Sodium Borosilicate
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Hydrolyzed Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Extract
Emulsion StabilisingCalcium Aluminum Borosilicate
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Water, Citrus Nobilis Fruit Extract, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Isododecane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Pentylene Glycol, Decyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Phenoxyethanol, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Hexylene Glycol, Mica, Vp/Va Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, CI 77891, Citric Acid, CI 77491, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Hydrolyzed Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Extract, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Silica, Sodium Benzoate, Tin Oxide
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
