What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Water
Skin ConditioningIsostearyl Isostearate
Emollient
Octyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientSqualane
Emollient
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Juice
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
CleansingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Water, Isostearyl Isostearate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Squalane, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Cellulose Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Vitis Vinifera Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Glycine
Buffering
Serine
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningArginine
Masking
Tyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hexapeptide-11
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment
Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSucrose Stearate
EmollientLecithin
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingLactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propanediol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Ascorbic Acid, Saccharide Isomerate, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Ceramide NP, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Hexapeptide-11, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sucrose Stearate, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Citrate, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactobacillus Ferment, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, CI 77491
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCitric 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 GlycerinSodium 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 HyaluronateSodium 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
