What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acrylates/Palmeth-25 Acrylate Copolymer
Parfum
Masking
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-11
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningBenzophenone-4
UV Absorber
Coumarin
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantWater
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG/PPG-4/12 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
PPG-1 Trideceth-6
Skin ConditioningPEG-70 Mango Glycerides
EmulsifyingEthylparaben
Preservative
Triethanolamine
BufferingPolyquaternium-37
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Geraniol
Perfuming
Disodium EDTA
Methylparaben
Preservative
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Citral
Perfuming
Amyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, PEG/PPG-4/12 Dimethicone, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, PEG-70 Mango Glycerides, Ethylparaben, Triethanolamine, Polyquaternium-37, Limonene, Linalool, Pvp, Parfum, Persea Gratissima Oil, Paraffinum Liquidum, Geraniol, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Citral, Amyl Cinnamal
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 GlycerinLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
