What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Thymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Skin ProtectingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingLactic Acid
Buffering
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialButylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamide DEA
Emulsifying
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Pueraria Lobata Root Extract
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientChlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
DMDM Hydantoin
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tetrasodium EDTA
Water, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Niacinamide, Zinc PCA, Thymus Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Lactic Acid, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Allantoin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Butylene Glycol, Cocamide DEA, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, DMDM Hydantoin, Parfum, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Lactate
Buffering
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMyristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningO-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingWater, Decyl Glucoside, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Gluconate, Panthenol, Zinc PCA, Xanthan Gum, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol
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 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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolWater. 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 WaterZinc PCA is a clever two-in-one molecule: the zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA).
Think of it as two useful things bonded together; the PCA half is one of your skin's own natural moisturizing factors (NMF) so it helps hold water in the upper layers. On the other hand, the zinc half does the heavy lifting on oil and bacteria.
The zinc part slows down an enzyme that turns testosterone into DHT, the hormone that tells your oil glands to pump out more sebum. Less of that signal means less oil. It also gently fights acne-causing bacteria and soothes redness/irritation.
This is why Zinc PCA often shows up in products for oily, breakout-prone skin and greasy scalps.
One lab study also hinted it might have a small anti-aging perk because it seemed to protect collagen from UVA damage and even helped the skin make a bit more of it. That last bit is still early research done in a dish and not real skin, so take it as a nice bonus rather than a promise for now.
As for scar healing, the picture is more "maybe" than a firm yes. Zinc itself plays a real role in wound repair because it is a cofactor for the enzymes involved in collagen building, calming inflammation, and helping new skin cells cover a wound. Lower zinc levels are also linked to slower healing.
Most of the scar healing research is on zinc oxide or oral zinc rather than zinc PCA specifically, with a focus on healing fresh wounds instead of scars that are already there.
Direct evidence that zinc PCA improves the look of established scars is still limited at this time. Though it would be fair to say zinc PCA supports the general skin-repair environment thanks to its zinc content .
This ingredient is water-soluble and plays nicely with other actives like niacinamide and salicylic acid. It works best at mildly acidic formulas (~4-6 pH) and is effective at low levels. Around 0.1% is enough to be active and finished products commonly use it anywhere up to 4%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-drama multitasker that suits oily and acne-prone skin.
Learn more about Zinc PCA
