What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientZinc PCA
Humectant
Inulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
ChelatingEpilobium Angustifolium Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Sr-Spider Polypeptide-1
Skin Protecting
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Linalool
Perfuming
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Alcohol Denat., Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Zinc PCA, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Caffeine, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Sodium Phytate, Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Limonene, Sr-Spider Polypeptide-1, Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Linalool, Alcohol, Sodium Metabisulfite
Water
Skin ConditioningIsopentyldiol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Laurate
EmulsifyingLactitol
HumectantXylitol
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPropanediol
Solvent
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Salvia Sclarea Oil
Masking
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
ChelatingMentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Sodium Phytate
ChelatingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycine
Buffering
Larix Europaea Wood Extract
HumectantSodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Eclipta Prostrata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract
HumectantBacopa Monnieri Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Zinc Chloride
AntimicrobialLactic Acid
Buffering
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Isopentyldiol, Glycerin, Inulin, Benzyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-3 Laurate, Lactitol, Xylitol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Propanediol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Mentha Piperita Oil, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycine, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Sodium Metabisulfite, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Bacopa Monnieri Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Zinc Chloride, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrin, Sodium Levulinate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Linalool, Limonene
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
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 GlycerinLimonene is the compound that gives citrus peel its smell.
In skincare, it shows up as a standalone fragrance ingredient or as a natural compound of citrus and other essential oils.
You'll typically see this ingredient used in very small amounts; anything above 0.001% in a leave-on product or 0.01% in a rinse-off has to be named on the label in the EU. The citrus oils that carry it sit around 0.5-1% in a finished formula.
Fresh limonene is a weak allergen; the real issue is that it slowly reacts with air and then breaks down from oxidation to create hydroperoxides (which are strong sensitizers). This is why suppliers are required to keep the peroxide value below 20 mmol.
Positive reactions in people being investigated for eczema vary:
It's worth skipping if you have a known fragrance allergy or a compromised barrier, but the risk is low for most people.
Older or long-opened products are also more likely to bother you than fresh ones due to oxidation.
Learn more about LimoneneLinalool is a small, naturally occurring scent molecule found in plants like lavender, coriander, bergamot, and more.
It is one of the two most-used fragrance ingredients in cosmetics and added purely for smell. Since it's not used for a skin benefit, there's no "effective dose". Concentration depends on the fragrance load of the product.
The EU requires it to be named on the label above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
Fresh linalool is a weak sensitizer but air exposure turns some of it into hydroperoxides, which are strong sensitizers. Those oxidation products are the actual allergy concern.
Patch-test clinics see positive reactions to linalool hydroperoxides in about 4% to 12% of dermatitis patients depending on country and test concentration.
Resassuringly, one analytical study found hydroperoxide levels in real fragranced products to be orders of magnitude below what induced sensitization in animal studies with no evidence of oxidation building up during normal storage.
The practical takeaway is that linalool is fine for most people but worth avoiding if you have a confirmed fragrance contact allergy or a badly compromised barrier.
Products stored a long time after opening are also the high-risk scenario since that is when oxidation happens.
The scent of linalool is described as floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSodium metabisulfite is also known as Sodium Pyrosulfite. It is a preservative, antioxidant, and disinfectant.
As a preservative, it helps stabilize cosmetic formulas without affecting their color or scent.
Sodium Phytate is the sodium salt of Phytic acid, a compound that plants store phosphorus in. It's the plant-derived alternative to ingredients like Disodium EDTA.
In skincare, this ingredient is a chelator that grabs onto trace metal ions like iron and copper that sneak into formulas through water/raw materials.
Those metals speed up oxidation so binding them keeps oils, fragrance, and actives from going off, stops color changes, and helps the preservative system work harder.
Survey data shows usage levels range from 0.0099%-0.5% in leave-on products, 0.025%-0.3% in rinse-off, and up to 0.05% in eye-area products. Suppliers typically recommend a range between 0.05-0.5%.
Learn more about Sodium PhytateWater. 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
