What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Enteromorpha Compressa Extract
Skin ProtectingLysine
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Chloride
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Chloride
Zinc Chloride
AntimicrobialPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingPolyglyceryl-4 Cocoate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate, Squalane, Glycerin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Enteromorpha Compressa Extract, Lysine, Magnesium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Chloride, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Polyglyceryl-4 Cocoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningSalix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Glycerin
Humectant
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
CleansingBetaine Salicylate
Antimicrobial
Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Water
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Flower Water
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelissa Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSolanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract
TonicAmber Powder
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Citronellol
Perfuming
Water, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Water, Squalane, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Betaine Salicylate, Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Water, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Amber Powder, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Citronellol
Reviews
Alternatives
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 AcidCitronellol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is often derived from plants such as roses. In fact, it can be found in many essential oils including geranium, lavender, neroli, and more. The scent of Citronellol is often described as "fresh, grassy, and citrus-like".
Since the Citronellol molecule is already unstable, Citronellol becomes irritating on the skin when exposed to air.
Citronellol is a modified terpene. Terpenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons found in plants. They make up the primary part of essential oils.
Citronellol is not able to be absorbed into deeper layers of the skin. It has low permeability,
Citronellol is also a natural insect repellent.
Learn more about CitronellolGlycerin (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 GlycerinChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
