What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
C15-19 Alkane
SolventButylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Squalane
Emollient
Isostearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol Cocoate
Emulsifying
Cellulose
Absorbent
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCarnosine
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Mannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Ethylcellulose
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Rhamnose
HumectantGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glabridin
BleachingAcetyl Tetrapeptide-5
Humectant
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, C15-19 Alkane, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Squalane, Isostearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol Cocoate, Cellulose, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Carnosine, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Mannitol, Xylitol, Ethylcellulose, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Tocopherol, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Root Extract, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Rhamnose, Glycine Soja Oil, Glabridin, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantDimethicone
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Lecithin
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Alteromonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Alanine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Histidine Hcl
Skin ConditioningSerine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Valine
MaskingLeucine
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
Masking
Threonine
Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
CleansingHesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Dipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Gallyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Propyl Gallate
Antioxidant
Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-50
Skin Conditioning
Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Escin
TonicSericoside
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Taurine
BufferingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSteareth-20
CleansingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyvinyl Alcohol
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Lecithin, Caffeine, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Lysine Hcl, Alanine, Arginine, Histidine Hcl, Serine, Proline, Valine, Leucine, Glycine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Gallyl Glucoside, Propyl Gallate, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-50, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate, Ectoin, Escin, Sericoside, Glycerin, Beta-Sitosterol, Allantoin, Glutamic Acid, Taurine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Steareth-20, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyvinyl Alcohol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineCitric 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 GlycerinThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Sorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateWater. 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
