What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Octyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Rhus Verniciflua Peel Wax
Sucrose Polystearate
EmollientDipropylene Glycol
HumectantBetaine
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cera Alba
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sesamum Indicum Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Shorea Robusta Seed Butter
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingAlpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Euphorbia Cerifera Wax
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingOryza Sativa Hull Powder
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Dextrin
AbsorbentHydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables
Skin Conditioning
Betula Alba Bark Extract
Masking
Scrophularia Nodosa Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningAsiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Datem
EmollientSunflower Seed Oil Glycerides
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Water, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Propylene Glycol, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Rhus Verniciflua Peel Wax, Sucrose Polystearate, Dipropylene Glycol, Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cera Alba, Pentylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sesamum Indicum Oil Unsaponifiables, Shorea Robusta Seed Butter, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Oryza Sativa Hull Powder, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Dextrin, Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract, Parfum, Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Scrophularia Nodosa Extract, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Asiatic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Datem, Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Histidine
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Glucose
Humectant
Maltose
MaskingFructose
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Urea
Buffering
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lecithin
Emollient
Triolein
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingIsoceteth-20
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Triethanolamine
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lecithin, Triolein, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholCitric 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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol 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
