What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Taraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningLonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningDiglycerin
Humectant
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingPropanediol
Solvent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialVerbena Officinalis Extract
EmollientMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Taraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Water, Diglycerin, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate, Sodium Chloride, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Lactic Acid, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Verbena Officinalis Extract, Maltodextrin
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Polyquaternium-39
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Powder
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Triethyl Citrate, Glycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Polyquaternium-39, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Maltodextrin, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Powder, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Sodium Hydroxide
Reviews
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 GlycerinLactic Acid is another well-loved alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It is gentler than glycolic acid but still highly effective.
Its main role is to exfoliate the surface of the skin by loosening the âglueâ that holds dead skin cells together. Shedding those old cells leads to smoother, softer, and more even-toned skin.
Because lactic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid, they donât penetrate as deeply. This means theyâre less likely to sting or irritate, making it a great choice for beginners or those with sensitive skin.
Like glycolic acid, it can:
Lactic acid also acts as a humectant (like hyaluronic acid). It can draw water into the skin to improve hydration and also plays a role in the skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the form of sodium lactate.
Studies show it can boost ceramide production to strengthen the skin barrier and even help balance the skinâs microbiome.
To get results, choose products with a pH between 3-4.
Lower strengths (5-12%) focus on surface exfoliation; higher strengths (12% and up) can reach deeper in the dermis (deeper, supportive layer) to improve skin texture and firmness over time.
Though it was originally derived from milk, most modern lactic acid used in skincare is vegan. It is made through non-dairy fermentation to create a bio-identical and stable form suitable for all formulations.
When lactic acid shows up near the end of an ingredient list, it usually means the brand added just a tiny amount to adjust the productâs pH.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Lactic acid is truly a gentle multitasker: it exfoliates, hydrates, strengthens, and brightens. It's a great ingredient for giving your skin a smooth, glowing, and healthy look without the harshness of stronger acids.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinChances 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 ChlorideWater. 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
