What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAcrylates Copolymer
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
CleansingPropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingSodium PCA
HumectantPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
SurfactantSodium Laureth Sulfate
CleansingPotassium Cocoate
EmulsifyingSodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDMDM Hydantoin
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingWater, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium PCA, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, DMDM Hydantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantIsononyl Isononanoate
EmollientNiacinamide
SmoothingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCeteareth-24
CleansingDimethicone
EmollientTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningTrehalose
HumectantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium PCA
HumectantBetaine
HumectantSodium Lactate
BufferingPCA
HumectantSerine
MaskingAlanine
MaskingGlycine
BufferingGlutamic Acid
HumectantLysine Hcl
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Arginine
MaskingProline
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexyl Stearate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Sorbitan Caprylate
EmulsifyingWater, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-24, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Trehalose, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Betaine, Sodium Lactate, PCA, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Disodium EDTA, Sorbitan Caprylate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.
Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.
As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.
There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.
Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.
It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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