What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantMethylpropanediol
SolventOctyldodecanol
EmollientCordyceps Sinensis Extract
AntioxidantTrametes Versicolor Extract
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
EmollientDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantXylitylglucoside
HumectantTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantPlukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil
EmollientRibes Nigrum Seed Oil
EmollientPueraria Lobata Root Extract
HumectantPunica Granatum Fruit Extract
AntioxidantSisymbrium Irio Seed Oil
MaskingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
EmollientCardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientAnhydroxylitol
HumectantXylitol
HumectantSerine
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingTocopherol
AntioxidantAlgin
MaskingGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Pullulan
Trehalose
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingUrea
BufferingIsohexadecane
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingDisodium Phosphate
BufferingPotassium Phosphate
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientSodium Citrate
BufferingPhenylpropanol
MaskingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Octyldodecanol, Cordyceps Sinensis Extract, Trametes Versicolor Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Butylene Glycol, Xylitylglucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Serine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Algin, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Pullulan, Trehalose, Pentylene Glycol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Urea, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 60, Disodium Phosphate, Potassium Phosphate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Phenylpropanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Hordeum Vulgare Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningZea Mays Starch
AbsorbentGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientPlukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientTrehalose
HumectantDicaprylyl Ether
EmollientPropanediol
SolventXylitylglucoside
HumectantArachidyl Alcohol
EmollientArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningCentaurea Cyanus Flower Water
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Water
AstringentAnhydroxylitol
HumectantSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientXylitol
HumectantGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialTocopherol
AntioxidantBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion StabilisingSqualene
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingHordeum Vulgare Seed Extract, Water, Zea Mays Starch, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Trehalose, Dicaprylyl Ether, Propanediol, Xylitylglucoside, Arachidyl Alcohol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Centaurea Cyanus Flower Water, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Water, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Levulinate, Behenyl Alcohol, Xylitol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Anisate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Beta-Sitosterol, Squalene, Glycine Soja Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is created from dehydrating xylitol in acidic conditions. Xylitol is a famous sugar and humectant.
Much like its predecessor, anhydroxylitol is a humectant. Humectants attract and hold water to moisturize the skin.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol (24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
This ingredient is often derived from plants such as wood and sugarcane.
Learn more about AnhydroxylitolCitric 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 GlycerinGlycine Soja Oil is a plant-derived oil from soybean seeds. Like other oils, it is rich in essential fatty acids (mostly linoleic and oleic) that support skin hydration and barrier function.
The fatty acids are able to integrate into the lipid matrix of the stratum corneum to help soften skin and reduce water loss.
On top of that, soybean oil is rich in vitamins like vitamin E, a potent antioxidant.
Research on soybean's active components also point to anti-inflammatory, collagen-stimulating, antioxidant activity, and protection against UV-induced oxidative damage.
Most of this research applies to the broader soybean plant and not just the oil fraction alone.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe due to the oleic acid content.
Learn more about Glycine Soja OilPlukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil (aka sacha inchi oil) is a plant oil that is 80-90% polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids are split pretty evenly between alpha-linoleic acid and linoleic acid.
On skin, it is an emollient and barrier helper since linoleic acid feeds into your skin's own lipid barrier.
A 14 day human study found its moisturizing performance matched olive oil and tested as mild/low irritation on skin tissue.
It also showed gentle anti-inflammatory + antioxidant activity, plus the ability to stop Staphylococcus aureus (a bacteria tied to breakouts and eczema flares) from sticking to skin.
The concentration for this oil is flexible and can range from a few percent in serums up to 100% as a facial oil.
Since this ingredient is a triglyceride oil loaded with fatty acids that Malassezia can feed on, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Allergy-wise, the risk is low. Despite having the nicknames "Inca peanut" or "mountain peanut", this ingredient is not actually a peanut or tree nut. However, allergy to the seeds does exist so patch test if your skin is reactive.
Learn more about Plukenetia Volubilis Seed OilThis is a botanical extract from the rosemary plant (the same one you cook with). In skincare, it mostly works as a skin conditioning agent.
Its activity comes from a handful of polyphenols, carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. Almost 90% of the antioxidant activity of this ingredient can be attributed to canosol and carnosic acid.
These compounds protect your skin two ways:
1) They fight off free radicals, or the unstable molecules from things like sun and pollution that age and damage skin.
2) They help calm inflammation by switching off the chemical signals that tell skin to get red and irritated.
Lab studies also suggest that rosmarinic acid may help protect collagen and slow sugar-related damage to it.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing.
Rosemary can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis (due to carnosol), so be sure to patch test if you have reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin.
Learn more about Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf ExtractTocopherol 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 TocopherolTrehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.
In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.
Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.
Learn more about TrehaloseWater. 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 XylitolXylitylglucoside is created from xylitol and glucose, two humectants.
Not surprisingly, this ingredient is also a humectant. It attracts and holds water in your skin, helping to maintain hydration.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol(24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
Learn more about Xylitylglucoside