What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sphingomonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Triethylene Glycol
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Niacinamide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Panthenol, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Glyceryl Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sphingomonas Ferment Extract, Citric Acid, Triethylene Glycol, Allantoin
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Betaine
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Calendula Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Poria Cocos Extract
Skin ConditioningPisum Sativum Extract
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Citric Acid
Buffering
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Betaine, Arginine, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Pisum Sativum Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Citric Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCitric 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract is an extract of the roots of Licorice. It has been found to have several benefits such as skin hydrating, conditioning, and soothing.
One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.
Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.
Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.
Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.
Learn more about Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root ExtractWater. 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
