What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Hydroquinone 2%
Stabilising
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV Absorber
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingBetaine
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Propylparaben
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
PEG-16 Soy Sterol
EmulsifyingSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingHydroquinone 2%, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Betaine, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Methylparaben, Disodium EDTA, Lactic Acid, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, PEG-16 Soy Sterol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Butylene Glycol, Glycine Soja Protein
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Steareth-20
CleansingDipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
N-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningChrysin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Extract
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMethylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Steareth-20, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Propanediol, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Hyaluronic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Carbomer, Methylisothiazolinone
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinWater. 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
