What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientSaccharide Isomerate
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingNiacinamide
SmoothingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningZinc PCA
HumectantHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone
EmollientPolyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Lactate
BufferingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
HumectantSodium DNA
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
HumectantLysine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantArginine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingThreonine
Serine
MaskingGlutamic Acid
HumectantProline
Skin ConditioningGlycine
BufferingAlanine
MaskingValine
MaskingMethionine
Skin ConditioningIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningLeucine
Skin ConditioningTyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
MaskingCysteine
AntioxidantWater, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Saccharide Isomerate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Zinc PCA, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Dimethicone, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Lactate, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Sodium DNA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hyaluronic Acid, Lysine, Histidine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Proline, Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Cysteine
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
EmollientHydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
EmollientDibutyl Adipate
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
EmulsifyingGlycerin
HumectantDiheptyl Succinate
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningKojic Dipalmitate
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningC10-18 Triglycerides
EmollientSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientPolysorbate 80
EmulsifyingCitrus Junos Seed Extract
AntioxidantLactobacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
AstringentLactic Acid
BufferingTocopherol
AntioxidantSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Dibutyl Adipate, Niacinamide, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Kojic Dipalmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, C10-18 Triglycerides, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 80, Citrus Junos Seed Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Lactic Acid, Tocopherol, Sodium Gluconate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamidePhenoxyethanol 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 PhenoxyethanolPolyacrylate-13 is a type of acrylate polymer. Acrylate polymers are commonly used as adhesives in cosmetics.
Polyacrylate-13 creates a film to protect the skin. It is also used to thicken and stabilize a product. It works by making water a gel-like consistency. This gel consistency helps suspend particles.
Polyacrylate-13 is a copolymer of acrylic acid, acrylamide, sodium acrylate, sodium acryloyldimethyltaurate monomers
Learn more about Polyacrylate-13Polyisobutene is a synthetic polymer made from isobutene.
It is a film-forming agent and helps bind ingredients together.
Polyisobutene is not absorbed by the skin.
Learn more about PolyisobutenePolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Water. 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