This anti-aging serum is formulated around Resveratrol and Ubiquinone to soften the look of wrinkles and brighten dull-looking skin.
This hydrating serum is formulated around Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil and Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil to hydrate skin and calm redness.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Juice
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Myrtus Communis Extract
AstringentLycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed
Skin ConditioningBorago Officinalis Ethyl Ester
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Callus Lysate
Antioxidant
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Flour
Abrasive
Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Aspalathus Linearis Leaf
Skin ConditioningHibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Callus Extract
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lauric Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Juice, Glycerin, Resveratrol, Ubiquinone, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Hyaluronic Acid, Squalane, Myrtus Communis Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Laurate, Vitis Vinifera Seed, Borago Officinalis Ethyl Ester, Rosa Canina Callus Lysate, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Flour, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Callus Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Allantoin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Decyl Oleate
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingDaucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Spirulina Platensis Extract
Skin ProtectingChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningPetroselinum Crispum Extract
Skin ConditioningBrassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
HumectantParfum
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Decyl Oleate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Petroselinum Crispum Extract, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Parfum, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellol
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateLycium Barbarum Fruit Extract comes from the Goji Berry. Goji berries are native to China and can be found across Eurasia.
Goji berries contain polysaccharides, carotenoids and flavonoids. Antioxidants help your body fight off free-radical molecules. These molecules are unstable and may damage your skin. By making free-radicals more stable, antioxidants can help with anti-aging.
Polysaccharides help hydrate the top layer of skin due to its ability to mimic natural carbohydrates.
Learn more about Lycium Barbarum Fruit ExtractThis ingredient is also known as Cocoa butter; it's the fat pressed out of roasted cocoa beans.
Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature and melts right around body temperature, which is why it feels waxy in the jar and slippery on skin.
It has a very saturated profile (stearic acid ~34 to 36%, oleic acid ~30 to 40%, and palmitic acid ~24 to 29%) that makes it a strong occlusive: it sits on top and slows water escaping from skin.
Concentration data shows that it can show up anywhere from a few percent in lotions up to 100% in balms, and the FDA lists cocoa butter as an OTC skin protectant active at 50-100%.
The CIR has reviewed it and concluded it to be safe as used in cosmetics.
This is one of the ingredients with a comedogenic score of 4/5 from the rabbit ear test. Just know that a later human study did find that finished products containing high-comedogenic ingredients like cocoa butter did not increase microcomedone formation.
The fair call here is that this ingredient is most likely fine on body or low-percentage formulas, but can potentially be riskier as a heavy leave-on facial product if you break out easily.
Cocoa butter may not be fungal acne safe; it is a triglyceride of C16-18 fatty acids that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Allergies to cocoa butter are rare and uncommon, but a few cases have been documented (mostly in cases where the person ate chocolate). So if you have a tree nut allergy, be sure to patch test or avoid.
Learn more about Theobroma Cacao Seed ButterTocopherol 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 Tocopherol
