What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Propylene Glycol

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Ascorbic Acid

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Emulsion Stabilising

Citrus Junos Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning

Centella Asiatica Extract

Cleansing
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Polysorbate 60

Emulsifying
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Illicium Verum Fruit Extract

Perfuming
Fragrance Icon

Chaenomeles Sinensis Fruit Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract

Skin Protecting

Brassica Oleracea Italica Extract

Astringent

Nelumbium Speciosum Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Citrus Paradisi Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning

Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract

Astringent

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil

Masking
Oil Icon

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Isohexadecane

Emollient

Disodium EDTA

Lavandula Angustifolia Oil

Masking
Oil IconFragrance IconMay cause irritation IconEU Allergen Icon

Camellia Sinensis Callus Culture Extract

Perfuming
Fragrance Icon

Polysorbate 80

Emulsifying
0 / 0 May worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Disodium Phosphate

Buffering

Sorbitan Oleate

Emulsifying
3 / 0 Bad for Acne Prone Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract

Skin Conditioning

Asarum Sieboldii Root Extract

Skin Conditioning

Quercus Mongolica Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning

Persicaria Hydropiper Extract

Skin Conditioning

Larix Europaea Wood Extract

Humectant

Magnolia Obovata Bark Extract

Skin Conditioning

Rheum Palmatum Root Extract

Astringent

Corydalis Turtschaninovii Root Extract

Skin Conditioning

Coptis Chinensis Root Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Sodium Phosphate

Buffering

Lysine Hcl

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Acetyl Methionine

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Theanine

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Proline

Skin Conditioning

Lecithin

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Acetyl Glutamine

Skin Conditioning

Bacillus/Folic Acid/Soybean Ferment Extract

Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate

Humectant
0 / 0 Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Sh-Oligopeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Sh-Oligopeptide-2

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Sh-Polypeptide-1

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Sh-Polypeptide-11

Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Sh-Polypeptide-9

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Limonene

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Rosacea IconEU Allergen Icon

Reviews

3.27
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Works Well 44% Absorbs Well 33% Great Value 22%
3.33
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Broke Me Out 100% Irritating 100%

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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 
Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

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 Glycol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin
Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of phospholipids.

This ingredient has emollient and emulsifying properties.

As an emollient, lecithen helps soften the skin and creates a barrier to keep moisture in.

As an emulsifier, it also helps prevent water and oil ingredients from separating. Lecithin can also help ingredients be better absorbed by the skin.

This is because the phospholipids in lecithin produce liposomes. Liposomes help other ingredients get through the skin barrier.

Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that feeds fungal acne.

We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.

Some other names for this ingredient include soy lecithin and deoiled soy lecithin.

Learn more about Lecithin
Skin Conditioning

sh-Oligopeptide-1 is a peptide found naturally in our bodies. Peptides are the building blocks for collagen and elastin in our skin.

In cosmetics, this ingredient is bioengineered to be identical to a human gene that codes for epidermal growth factor (EGF). EGF are signal molecules that simulate cell growth and healing.

Studies find EGF help with:

In South Korea and China, EGF is considered a controversial ingredient. The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has cracked down on companies with products including EGF due to false advertisement claims.

According to Dr. Zoe Draelos, growth factors have some drawbacks:

There is also controversy surrounding growth factors. The controversy is due to their mitogenic activity, or their ability to increase the number of cells. It is best to avoid using growth factors if you have psoriasis or are at risk of skin cancer. However, it should be noted EGF are not mutagenic - meaning they will not cause cancer.

Learn more about Sh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. 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. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

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