What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Rhamnose
HumectantIsohexadecane
EmollientAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Propanediol
Solvent
Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Nylon-12
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantStearic Acid
Cleansing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone
Masking
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexyl Hydroxystearate
Emollient
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Rhamnose, Isohexadecane, Alcohol Denat., Propanediol, Isopropyl Isostearate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Behenyl Alcohol, Nylon-12, PEG-100 Stearate, CI 77163, CI 77891, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Caffeine, Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone, Palmitic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Adenosine, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Polysorbate 80, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Olivate
Polyacrylamide
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Synthetic Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningC12-14 Pareth-12
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Polyacrylamide, Sorbitan Olivate, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Synthetic Beeswax, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Dimethiconol, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Laureth-7, Carbomer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, C12-14 Pareth-12, Sodium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeThis ingredient is a silicone elastomer that works as a texture enhancer, adds a silky slip, and also helps absorb excess oil.
Because it's a large macromolecule that's insoluble in water and chemically inert, it's not expected to penetrate or be absorbed into skin.
Human patch tests with a facial lotion containing 1% of this ingredient found no sensitization.
Learn more about Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone CrosspolymerGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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
