Skin science article
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting + Refreshing Spray Versus The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash And Brow Serum
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting + Refreshing Spray Versus The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash And Brow Serum What's inside Key Ingredients Benefits Concerns Ingredients Side-by-side Water Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate Caprylyl Methicone Octyldodecanol Isononyl Is
Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Setting + Refreshing Spray Versus The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash And Brow Serum
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
Caprylyl Methicone
Octyldodecanol
Isononyl Isononanoate
Isopropyl Palmitate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Cannabis Sativa Seed Extract
Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract
Prunus Avium Flower Extract
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Orchis Mascula Extract
Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Curcuma Longa Leaf Extract
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Niacinamide
Panthenol
Sodium Hyaluronate
Vegetable Amino Acids
Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
Maltose
Sodium Phytate
Glycerin
Erythritol
Methyl Gluceth-10
Pentylene Glycol
Polyester-5
Pvp
Sorbitol
Propylene Glycol
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Amber Powder
Homarine Hcl
Hydroxyacetophenone
Sodium Chloride
Citric Acid
Sodium Benzoate
Potassium Sorbate
Sodium Acetate
Benzoic Acid
Dehydroacetic Acid
Phenoxyethanol
CI 42090
Water, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Caprylyl Methicone, Octyldodecanol, Isononyl Isononanoate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cannabis Sativa Seed Extract, Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract, Prunus Avium Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Orchis Mascula Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Leaf Extract, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vegetable Amino Acids, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Maltose, Sodium Phytate, Glycerin, Erythritol, Methyl Gluceth-10, Pentylene Glycol, Polyester-5, Pvp, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Amber Powder, Homarine Hcl, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Acetate, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, CI 42090
Butylene Glycol
Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17
Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1
Oligopeptide-2
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3
Caffeine
Arginine
Glycine
Glycoproteins
Larix Europaea Wood Extract
Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Dextran
Maltodextrin
Zinc Chloride
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Xanthan Gum
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Polysorbate 20
Sodium Metabisulfite
Caprylyl Glycol
1,2-Hexanediol
Ethylhexylglycerin
Chlorphenesin
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Oligopeptide-2, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, Caffeine, Panthenol, Arginine, Glycine, Glycoproteins, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Trifolium Pratense Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dextran, Maltodextrin, Zinc Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Metabisulfite, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzoic Acid is an organic acid that shows up in cosmetics as a preservative. It helps keep a product from spoiling by holding back the growth of yeast, mold, and some bacteria.
This ingredient also functions as a fragrance ingredient that helps mask the unpleasant scent of other ingredients.
The way it works is worth understanding; benzoic acid works when the formula is acidic. It is able to sneak into a microbe's cell and mess up how it functions to stop it from growing in an acidic product.
However, the acid switches to an inactive form and stops working if a product isn't acidic enough (above ~5 pH). This is why you'll often see it in low pH products or teamed up with other preservatives to cover the gap.
Safety wise, it's one of the better studied preservatives out there.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%.
A large international review found this ingredient had no effects on the human body and had low irritation potential.
Just so you know, real world use is usually much lower than the 5% ceiling (usually 1% of less).
The EU caps it at 2.5% in rinse-off products, 1.7% in oral care, and 0.5% in leave-on products.
One thing worth mentioning (it's nothing to worry about): some people get a little stinging or flushing where they apply it. This isn't a true allergy; it's a temporary and harmless reaction. This is the same kind of mild tingle you might notice from sorbic acid.
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.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Phenoxyethanol 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.
Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Water. 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!