What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Isohexadecane
EmollientHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Trehalose
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Palmitoyl Hydroxypropyltrimonium Amylopectin/Glycerin Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Boswellia Serrata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Honey Extract
Humectant
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Squalane
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingOligopeptide-10
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
BHT
Antioxidant
BHA
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polysorbate 80, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Benzyl Alcohol, Isohexadecane, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Trehalose, Salicylic Acid, Tocopherol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Lecithin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Palmitoyl Hydroxypropyltrimonium Amylopectin/Glycerin Crosspolymer, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Polysorbate 20, Boswellia Serrata Extract, Honey Extract, Retinol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Sitosterol, Squalane, Glycine Soja Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Oligopeptide-10, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, BHT, BHA
Water
Skin ConditioningGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Propanediol
Solvent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
Humectant
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
EmollientCetearyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Crithmum Maritimum Extract
Skin ConditioningPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Salicylate
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Gluconolactone, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Cetearyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-100 Stearate, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Salicylate, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTocopherol 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 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 Water
