What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Kojic Acid 1%
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycolic Acid 0.5%
Buffering
Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientGlycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract 0.3%
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Bisulfite
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium EDTA
Propanediol
Solvent
Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Mume Fruit Extract
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Kojic Acid 1%, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Glycolic Acid 0.5%, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract 0.3%, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Bisulfite, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Propanediol, Bacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Disodium EDTA
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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Bisulfite is an antioxidant and is a preservative.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
Water. 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
