What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Lactobacillus/Portulaca Oleracea Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningDaucus Carota Sativa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Max Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pantolactone
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Lactobacillus/Portulaca Oleracea Ferment Extract, Panthenol, Ceramide NP, Saccharide Isomerate, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Glycine Max Seed Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Pantolactone, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCarrageenan
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Alanyl Glutamine
HumectantArginine
Masking
Oligopeptide-177
Phenylalanine
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Coco-Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Carrageenan, Coconut Acid, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Maltodextrin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alanyl Glutamine, Arginine, Oligopeptide-177, Phenylalanine, Potassium Sorbate, Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil
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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilChances 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 is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
