What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Palm Acid
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Sedum Sarmentosum Extract
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-7
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Phytate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Serine
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Tyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
Cysteine
Antioxidant
Methionine
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Palm Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sedum Sarmentosum Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyquaternium-7, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Phytate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Allantoin, Panthenol, Sodium Bicarbonate, Butylene Glycol, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Alanine, Lysine, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Cysteine, Methionine, Potassium Hyaluronate, Sodium Benzoate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Olivate
CleansingChamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Rugosa Leaf Extract
HumectantCitric Acid
Buffering
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate
Cleansing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantBenzyl Glycol
SolventHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Raspberry Ketone
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Water, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Sodium Olivate, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Rosa Rugosa Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium EDTA, Papain, Sodium Hyaluronate, Maltodextrin, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans, Benzyl Glycol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Raspberry Ketone
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
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 GlycerinHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidPanthenol 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 PanthenolSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is a crosslinked version of sodium hyaluronate. This just means it's linked into a 3D mesh network that lets it be more stable and sit on skin as a cohesive, gel-like film rather than sinking into skin.
A 2016 human skin study found crosslinked HA increased epidermal water content by 7.6% over the control group and reduced transepidermal water loss by 27.8%.
A follow-up clinical trial found that a topical crosslinked HA serum applied after fillers, microneedling, or chemical peels was well-tolerated and enhanced skin quality at 14 / 28 days.
More recent research suggests that concentrations as low as 0.03% can act as a penetration enhancer for other skincare actives.
Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate CrosspolymerWater. 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
