This acne serum is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Capryloyl Salicylic Acid to clear breakouts and calm redness.
This calming essence is formulated around Houttuynia Cordata Extract and Sodium Hyaluronate to calm redness and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Azelaic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventPropanediol
Solvent
Betaine
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Succinic Acid
BufferingChondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Epigallocatechin Gallate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Arginine
Masking
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Honokiol
Antioxidant
Water, Propylene Glycol, Azelaic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Propanediol, Betaine, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Succinic Acid, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Beta-Glucan, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Tocopherol, Arginine, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Honokiol
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycereth-26
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingMentha Aquatica Extract
TonicSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Succinic Acid
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHouttuynia Cordata Extract, Glycerin, Water, Methylpropanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Mentha Aquatica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Panthenol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Caprylyl Glycol, Succinic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolThis ingredient comes from the red seaweed that grows along the North Atlantic. It's the same alga that gives us carrageenan, the thickener in your oat milk.
The extract is mostly big sulfated sugar molecules (polysaccharides) plus some minerals and protein.
What those sugars do is simple and useful: they hold onto water and form a light film on the skin. That means they boost hydration, add a bit of slip, and leave a soft, cushiony feel.
It also helps with texture and thickness.
You'll see claims about anti-aging and "second skin" effects but those come mostly from supplier marketing.
The real research is cell-culture stuff and there's no human trial on this ingredient specifically (yet). So for now, treat it as a nice hydrator and texture helper, not an active.
Safety-wise, it's pretty solid. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel rated it safe as used, human sensitization tests came back negative, and it wasn't irritating in skin or eye tests.
Typical use levels are 0.5% or lower.
You'll see algae listed as a 5/5 on a lot of pore-clogging charts and that number doesn't come from anywhere; it's not in the original rabbit-ear studies that most comedogenic ratings trace back to.
The reasoning behind the reputation is that seaweed is high in iodine and iodine can trigger acne-like breakouts when eaten. This traces back to a 1976 letter in Archives of Dermatology describing two women whose breakouts cleared after they stopped taking high-dose kelp supplements orally.
And the reaction of these two women wasn't clogged pores at all: it was an iodine-triggered pustular rash. Later research found normal dietary iodine doesn't meaningfully affect acne either and nobody has shown topical algae delivers enough iodine to matter.
What we do have is dozens of brown and red algae ingredients found to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and a handful of studies that found algae compounds may actually help acne.
However, plenty of people do report breaking out from algae-containing products. Skin is individual and it's worth avoiding if yours has reacted to algae before.
Learn more about Chondrus Crispus ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinMethylpropanediol is a synthetic solvent and humectant.
As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients, helping to evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product. This ingredient has also been shown to have antimicrobial properties which makes it a preservative booster.
Methylpropanediol is able to add a bit of moisture to the skin. It also helps other ingredients be better absorbed into the skin, such as salicylic acid.
Learn more about MethylpropanediolPanthenol 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.
Learn more about PanthenolThis ingredient is also called sugarcane extract. It is a moisturizing humectant and has skin soothing properties.
Similar to hyaluronic acid, sugarcane can attract moisture to your skin.
Glycolic acid is a derivative of sugarcane. While glycolic acid is an AHA with exfoliating properties, sugarcane is not an AHA.
A study from 2021 found the compounds in sugarcane extract to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity. The study also suggests these compounds can inhibit skin ageing enzymes and promote collagen synthesis.
Learn more about Saccharum Officinarum ExtractSuccinic acid is an odorless white powder. It is naturally found in our bodies but can also be derived from living organisms.
Succinic acid is water-soluble. The pH level of this ingredient is between 4.2 and 5.6.
While succinic acid posesses antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, these properties have not been studied in skincare products.
Fun fact: Succinic acid was known as the 'spirit of amber' in the past. This is because it used to be derived from distilling amber.
Learn more about Succinic AcidWater. 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
