What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMica
Cosmetic ColorantSynthetic Fluorphlogopite
Propanediol
Solvent
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Orchid Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Phytate
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Oil
Astringent
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil
Masking
Thymus Vulgaris Oil
Masking
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSantalum Album Oil
Masking
Pyrus Communis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantLimonene
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Mica, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Propanediol, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Orchid Extract, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Phytate, Beta-Glucan, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Thymus Vulgaris Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Santalum Album Oil, Pyrus Communis Fruit Extract, Dehydroacetic Acid, CI 77891, CI 77491, Limonene, Benzyl Salicylate, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningIsododecane
EmollientPolymethylsilsesquioxane
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate
Emulsifying
Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Diisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilinoleate
Emollient
C20-24 Alkyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Sulfate
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Polysilicone-11
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Isododecane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Neopentyl Glycol Diethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Diisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilinoleate, C20-24 Alkyl Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Magnesium Sulfate, Benzyl Alcohol, Polysilicone-11, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Tin Oxide, CI 77163, CI 77491, CI 77891
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCi 77491 is also hydrated iron III oxide. It's sole purpose is to give a red/pink hue to products.
Iron III oxides are classified as inorganic chemicals for coloring.
Synthetically created Ci 77491 is considered safer than those naturally found. This is because the synthetically created version may contain less impurities. Iron oxides are generally non-toxic and non-allergenic.
Learn more about CI 77491Ci 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.
It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.
Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.
Learn more about CI 77891Dehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
Learn more about Dehydroacetic AcidGlycerin (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 PhenoxyethanolSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite is the synthethic version of mica. It consists of fluorine, aluminum and silicate.
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite is used to add volume to products.
It is considered non-irritating on the skin.
Learn more about Synthetic FluorphlogopiteWater. 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
