What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientMethyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Dimethicone
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingLactitol
HumectantXylitol
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydrolyzed Algin
Serine
Masking
Sorbitol
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Isohexadecane, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Dimethicone, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Lactitol, Xylitol, Sodium PCA, Pentylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Hydrolyzed Algin, Serine, Sorbitol, Urea, Sorbitan Oleate, Sodium Chloride, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 80, Lactic Acid, Sodium Lactate, Potassium Sorbate, Chlorphenesin, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Petrolatum
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Steareth-20
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Benzalkonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Panthenol, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Petrolatum, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cetyl Alcohol, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Steareth-20, Citric Acid, Benzalkonium Chloride, Ceramide NP, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Tocopherol
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 GlycerinPotassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
