What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHeptyl Undecylenate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
Parfum
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Maclura Cochinchinensis Leaf Prenylflavonoids
Water, Heptyl Undecylenate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Silica, Parfum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Mica, CI 77891, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Polysorbate 20, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Saccharide Isomerate, Maclura Cochinchinensis Leaf Prenylflavonoids
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningPhytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Oleamide Mea
Methylbenzyl Methylbenzimidazole Piperidinylmethanone
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-10 Distearate
Emulsifying
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Phytosterols, Stearic Acid, Oleamide Mea, Methylbenzyl Methylbenzimidazole Piperidinylmethanone, Tocopherol, Polyglyceryl-10 Distearate, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Hyaluronate, Allantoin, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Arginine
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
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 GlycerinTocopherol 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 Water
