This oil-control exfoliator is formulated around Salix Alba Bark Extract to balance excess oil.

This acne serum is formulated around Niacinamide and 4-Terpineol to clear breakouts and calm redness.

Exfoliator
Serum
Korean South Korea
Korean South Korea

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Glycerin

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

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Water

Skin Conditioning

Glycerin

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

Propanediol

Solvent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

1,2-Hexanediol

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Glycereth-26

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Niacinamide

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking
Coconut Derived IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Althaea Rosea Flower Extract

Skin Conditioning

Laminaria Japonica Extract

Skin Protecting
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning

Centella Asiatica Extract

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

Ficus Carica Fruit Extract

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Monarda Didyma Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning

Hydrangea Macrophylla Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning

Mentha Aquatica Extract

Tonic

Sasa Quelpaertensis Extract

Skin Conditioning

Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract

Perfuming
Fragrance Icon

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning

Eclipta Prostrata Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps reduce irritation Icon

Cinnamomum Camphora Leaf Extract

Masking

Cryptomeria Japonica Leaf Extract

Humectant

Pinus Pinaster Bark/Bud Extract

Antimicrobial
Antioxidant Icon

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil

Masking
Oil Icon

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Emulsifying
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water

Masking

Trehalose

Humectant
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Octyldodeceth-16

Emulsifying

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Tromethamine

Buffering

C12-14 Pareth-12

Emulsifying

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Disodium EDTA

Chelating

Ceramide NP

Skin Conditioning
Ceramide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Fructooligosaccharides

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Beta-Glucan

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

4-Terpineol

Masking
Helps fight Acne Icon

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Rhizome/Root

Emollient

Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil

Emollient
Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconMay worsen Keratosis Pilaris IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glycolic Acid

Buffering
AHA IconExfoliant IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Skin Texture IconMay worsen Perioral Dermatitis IconMay worsen Psoriasis IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Salicylic Acid

Masking
BHA IconPreservative IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Skin Texture IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Perioral Dermatitis IconMay worsen Psoriasis IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

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Works Well 67% Absorbs Well 42% Light Scent 33%

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 (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 Glycerin
Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Hydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.

It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.

This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.

Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.

Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.

A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).

Learn more about Hydrogenated Lecithin
Skin Protecting

Laminaria Japonica Extract is an extract of Japanese kelp, the same brown seaweed sold as kombu.

This ingredient is usually extracted from dried, ground kelp with water or a water/glycol mix. Most of what ends up in your bottle is mostly big sugar molecules, minerals, and amino acids rather than oils.

Those sugars help hold water and form a light film on the skin's surface, giving it humectant and mild-barrier supporting properties.

The best human data is a small Korean study where a cream with 10% extract upped skin hydration about 14% over placebo and cut water loss through the skin for up to eight hours.

Beyond this study, most of the anti-aging and anti-inflammatory claims come from mouse and cell studies; these studies found that topical kelp sugars preserved collagen in aging mice and the extract calmed UVB-triggered inflammation markers in cultured skin cells.

Though this sounds promising, it isn't the same as proof on human faces.

Industry data shows this ingredient is usually used anywhere from 0.0005% - 5%. Most leave-on products sit well under 1% and the 5% end mostly shows up in bath products.

Allergy-risk for this ingredient looks low as well. A cream with 10% extract patch-tested on 25 people caused no irritation and there have been no sensitization reports either.

There is one real allergy report on "laminaria" that involves medical cervical dilators made from whole dried kelp stems inserted internally; though this is a very different exposure from a few tenths of a percent in a serum.

Learn more about Laminaria Japonica Extract
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. Remember to stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

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