What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantSodium Laureth Sulfate
CleansingCellulose
AbsorbentLauryl Glucoside
CleansingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCitrus Grandis Fruit Extract
AstringentPropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate
UV AbsorberDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
AntioxidantSodium Benzoate
MaskingHyaluronic Acid
HumectantCrystallins
Skin ConditioningCollagen
MoisturisingWater, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cellulose, Lauryl Glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Benzoate, Hyaluronic Acid, Crystallins, Collagen
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Glucoside
CleansingDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingOleth-20
CleansingPropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPropanediol
SolventEvodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTrehalose
HumectantUrea
BufferingSerine
MaskingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Algin
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPullulan
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingPotassium Phosphate
BufferingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Powder
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
EmollientParfum
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOctenidine Hcl
AntimicrobialWater, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Oleth-20, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Propanediol, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Trehalose, Urea, Serine, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Algin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pullulan, Disodium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Octenidine Hcl
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 GlycerinPropylene 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