What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Kojic Acid
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Pterocarpus Marsupium Bark Extract
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Azelaic Acid
Buffering
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Pullulan
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Bisulfite
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSilica
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, Kojic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Pterocarpus Marsupium Bark Extract, Alpha-Arbutin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Azelaic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Lecithin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Bisulfite, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingUrea
Buffering
Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Malva Sylvestris Extract
AstringentAlchemilla Vulgaris Extract
AstringentMelissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningVeronica Officinalis Extract
Skin ConditioningAchillea Millefolium Extract
CleansingPrimula Veris Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycerin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Urea, Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract, Malva Sylvestris Extract, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Veronica Officinalis Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Primula Veris Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi Leaf Extract is from the bearberry plant. It has antioxidant and skin brightening properties.
Bearberry contains arbutin, a skin brightening ingredient.
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 GlycerinMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a water-soluble form of Vitamin C. It is used in skincare because it tends to be more formulation friendly than pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
According to research, MAP has three major benefits:
While MAP is gentler on the skin than ascorbic acid, it is thought to be less easily absorbed into the skin.
In a well-known absorption study, pure vitamin C increased skin vitamin C levels when formulated correctly, but derivatives like MAP did not in that experiment. This suggests MAP may not always convert into active vitamin C in the skin.
Due to MAP's stability up to a pH level of 7, it is more stable to air and sunlight exposure than ascorbic acid. The best pH range for MAP is between 5 and 6.
Learn more about Magnesium Ascorbyl PhosphatePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
