What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Surfactant
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Coco-Betaine, Propanediol, Potassium Cocoate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Polyglutamic Acid, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Squalane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium PCA, Sodium Phytate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBenzoic Acid
Masking
PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
PPG-5-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingPEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingWater, Glycerin, PEG-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Coco-Betaine, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Polysorbate 20, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cholesterol, Citric Acid, Capryloyl Glycine, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Benzoic Acid, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
Reviews
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 AcidCoco-Betaine is the natural version of Cocamidopropyl Betaine. It is often derived from coconuts.
Coco-Betaine is a surfactant, meaning it helps remove dirt and oil from the skin.
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 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 HydroxideSqualane 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
