This brightening moisturizer is formulated around Ascorbyl Glucoside and Squalane to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.
This moisturizer is formulated around Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate to hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBetaine
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Glycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Bellis Perennis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Placental Protein
HumectantSoluble Collagen
Humectant
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Morus Alba Root Extract
BleachingSodium Riboflavin Phosphate
Skin ConditioningCyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Squalane, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Potassium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Betaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Ubiquinone, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Phytosterols, Bellis Perennis Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Placental Protein, Soluble Collagen, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Morus Alba Root Extract, Sodium Riboflavin Phosphate, Cyanocobalamin, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Poly(1,2-Butanediol)-4 PEG/PPG-29/9 Methyl Glucose
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion Stabilising
Glycogen
HumectantMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Dipeptide-8
Skin Conditioning
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Grifola Frondosa Fruiting Body Extract
EmollientBrassica Napus Seed Oil
Emollient
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Poly(1,2-Butanediol)-4 PEG/PPG-29/9 Methyl Glucose, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Saccharide Isomerate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Glycogen, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Dipeptide-8, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Grifola Frondosa Fruiting Body Extract, Brassica Napus Seed Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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 GlycerinThis ingredient is also known as olive oil. It has been used in skincare for centuries and science largely backs up its reputation as a nourishing emollient.
The main components of olive oil are oleic acid (55-83%), linoleic acid (3.5-20%), and palmitic acid (7-20%). Oleic acid promotes skin regeneration and helps regulate inflammatory responses.
Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.
Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.
It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).
Because it has a 2-3 on the comedogenic scale, it is a moderate risk for acne-prone skin. However, the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.
Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.
Learn more about Olea Europaea Fruit OilPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
