What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantSodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate
CleansingCoco-Betaine
CleansingGlutamic Acid
HumectantBifida Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningXylitylglucoside
HumectantAnhydroxylitol
HumectantXylitol
HumectantGlucose
HumectantButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientSodium Phytate
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate, Coco-Betaine, Glutamic Acid, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Allantoin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Glucose, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Phytate, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantSodium Chloride
MaskingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantBifida Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientLonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningTaraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientLactic Acid
BufferingSodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Inulin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningAlpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
CleansingMaltodextrin
AbsorbentDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantWater, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Caprylyl Glycol, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Lactic Acid, Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate, Disodium EDTA, Inulin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Maltodextrin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
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 preservativesÂ
Bifida Ferment Lysate is a postbiotic ingredient made by fermenting Bifidobacterium to extract a nutrient-rich mix of peptides, amino acids, vitamins, organic acids, and polysaccharides.
These components are basically the building blocks that your skin already uses to stay hydrated, repair itself, and maintain its barrier. That's why this ingredient helps your skin hold onto moisture and stay resilient against irritation.
One in-vitro study found that this ingredient tells your skin cells to produce more of the proteins (filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin) for building a strong and healthy barrier. This study also found this ingredient to be a solid antioxidant that helped neutralize damage against UV and pollution.
A study with people from 2010 found that sensitive, reactive skin using a cream with 10% of this ingredient for a month became noticeably less dry, less reactive, and harder to irritate compared to the group using a plain cream.
In short, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient that can help with barrier repair, antioxidant protection, and calming reactive skin.
This ingredient is generally considered fungal acne (Malassezia) safe; Bifidobacterium is a bacterium, not a yeast or fungus.
The fungal acne concern with fermented ingredients mainly applies to yeast-derived ferments like Saccharomyces and Galactomyces, because those are in the same kingdom as Malassezia and could theoretically contain residual compounds that feed it.
Bifida is a completely different organism, so on its own it doesn't provide a food source for the Malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about Bifida Ferment LysateCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.
Though naturally occuring in Norwegian spruce needles, this ingredient is usually synthetically created.
This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing. Recent research also suggests it may have skin-brightening effects through tyrosinase inhibition.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneLactobacillus Ferment Lysate is a postbiotic with skin soothing properties. Postbiotics are inactive molecules produced by probiotic bacteria that provide skin benefits.
This ingredient comes from the secretion of the bacteria, Lactobacillus.
Studies show this ingredient can help calm redness and may help treat the signs of photoaging; however, the evidence is inconclusive and further studies are needed.
Lactobacillus Ferment is generally considered safe for fungal-acne prone skin. The key thing to understand is that it comes from bacteria, not yeast or fungus.
Yeast-derived ferments (like galactomyces) have been shown to activate a protein that's linked to Malassezia-related skin issues whereas lactobacillus doesn't have that problem.
Its byproducts also don't contain the types of fatty acids (C11-24 chain lengths) that Malassezia feeds on.
Learn more about Lactobacillus Ferment LysateWe don't have a description for Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate yet.
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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water