What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingButyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBenzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol
UV AbsorberMannitol
Humectant
Rhamnose
HumectantXylitol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
Skin Conditioning
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Water, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Pentylene Glycol, Squalane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Zinc Gluconate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzotriazolyl Dodecyl P-Cresol, Mannitol, Rhamnose, Xylitol, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Fructooligosaccharides
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingPEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Laureth-2
CleansingMannitol
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Xylitol
Humectant
Rhamnose
HumectantNiacinamide
Smoothing
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
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 AcidFructooligosaccharides (FOS) are a type of prebiotic sugar with humectant and skin conditioning properties. As a humectant, they help attract and hold moisture in the skin.
FOS essentially acts as a food source for the "good" bacteria on your skin and make it harder for "bad" bacteria to thrive. A 2022 study using a reconstructured human skin model found that just 1% of FOS was enough to shift the bacteria balance in favor of beneficial species. This suggests it could help support a healthier skin microbiome over time.
This ingredient has a low sensitization risk and testing shows it does not classify as a skin irritant or sensitizer.
FOS are usually produced from sugar beets and can also be found in foods like bananas, garlic, and onions.
Learn more about FructooligosaccharidesGlycerin (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 GlycerinMannitol is a sugar alcohol. It is a humectant and moisturizes the skin. In vitro (not tested on a living organism), mannitol displays antioxidant properties.
When found in aqueous solutions, mannitol tends to become acidic. This is because it loses a hydrogen ion. This is why mannitol can often be found with pH adjusting ingredients, such as sodium bicarbonate.
Fun fact: Mannitol can be found in foods as a sweetener. It can be naturally found in mushrooms, algae, fruits, and veggies.
Learn more about MannitolWe don't have a description for Rhamnose yet.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
