What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate
Cleansing
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingHydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Hectorite
AbsorbentPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Polyquaternium-67
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Phytate
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Zinc PCA, Decyl Glucoside, Hectorite, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Polyquaternium-67, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Maltodextrin
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
PCA
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Lysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Arginine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingLactic Acid
Buffering
Lauramine Oxide
CleansingSodium Carbonate
BufferingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Betaine, Sodium Lactate, PCA, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Glycerin, Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Lactic Acid, Lauramine Oxide, Sodium Carbonate, Polysorbate 20, Imidazolidinyl Urea
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. Itβs known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol 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 PanthenolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium 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
