What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Shea Butter Ethyl Esters
Emollient
Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters
Emulsifying
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentHydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
PEG-75 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Ceteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingBackhousia Citriodora Leaf Oil
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Chondrus Crispus Powder
Abrasive
Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Citral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil Phytosterol Esters, Distarch Phosphate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides, Glyceryl Stearate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Saccharide Isomerate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, PEG-75 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Oil, Xanthan Gum, Allantoin, Beta-Sitosterol, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Tocopherol, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Citral, Limonene, Geraniol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Isocetyl Stearate
Emollient
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Silica
Abrasive
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sarcosine
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Isohexadecane
EmollientSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSilica Silylate
Emollient
Perlite
Absorbent
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Citric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Isocetyl Stearate, Alcohol Denat., Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Cocamide Mea, Sorbitan Oleate, Sarcosine, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Isohexadecane, Sodium Hydroxide, Silica Silylate, Perlite, Hydroxyacetophenone, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopherol, Salicylic Acid, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 StearateTocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
