What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Phytate
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Actinidia Deliciosa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Essential Oils
Water, Glycerin, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Phytate, Alcohol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Actinidia Deliciosa Fruit Extract, Bakuchiol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Limonene, Linalool, Essential Oils
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningBakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Mannitol
Humectant
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
CI 77163
Cosmetic Colorant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantMica
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Bakuchiol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Persea Gratissima Oil, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Mannitol, Maltodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Propanediol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, CI 77163, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, Mica, Parfum, Linalool, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived antioxidant from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant. It has antimicrobial, emollient, skin conditioning, and antioxidant properties.
You'll likely see it called a "retinol replacement" but the two are technically not related. This is because bakuchiol is able to flip many of the same switches in your skin cells to tell them to:
1) produce more collagen (type I, III, and IV)
2) activate the same genes retinoids do
Unlike retinoids, this ingredient will not increase photosensitivity and is safe to use during pregnancy (but please still check in with your doctor!).
The flagship clinical trial from Dhaliwal et al. 2019 found 0.5% bakuchiol (twice daily) and 0.5% retinol (once daily) reduced wrinkles and hyperpigmentation equally, but bakuchiol had significantly less irritation.
Systematic reviews also back this up:
Bakuchiol is comparable to retinol for photoaging but with better tolerability. It also has mild antibacterial properties against Cutibacterium acnes and antifungal activity in vitro against Candida and dermatophytes.
The reason bakuchiol works well is due to its structure; it is a meroterpene phenol, or a hybrid molecule. The phenol half acts as an antioxidant while the terpene half is fat-loving. This helps the molecule slip through the skin barrier.
This ingredient is usually used between 0.5-2%. Only one case of contact dermatitis has ever been reported for this ingredient.
Learn more about BakuchiolBenzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholDehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
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 GlycerinLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilPotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSodium 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 HyaluronateWater. 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
