What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Potassium Olivoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate
CleansingGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Carrageenan
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil
Astringent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex
Antioxidant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Punica Granatum Extract
AstringentRosa Canina Fruit Extract
Astringent
Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract
AstringentWater, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Potassium Olivoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glycerin, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Sodium PCA, Cetearyl Alcohol, Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate, Gluconolactone, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Glyceryl Oleate, Parfum, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polysorbate 60, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Carrageenan, Potassium Sorbate, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Alcohol, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Oil, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Hyaluronic Acid, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
