This calming moisturizer is formulated around Niacinamide and 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid to calm redness and brighten dull-looking skin.
This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Bifida Ferment Lysate and Hyaluronic Acid to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantVegetable Oil
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
EmulsifyingNiacinamide
Smoothing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil
Emollient3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantPropolis Extract
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantEclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Japonica Extract
Skin ProtectingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantAlcohol
AntimicrobialCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningRosa Centifolia Flower Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventHippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantAdenosine
Skin ConditioningFructooligosaccharides
HumectantHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingCitrus Nobilis Peel Oil
MaskingBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientFicus Carica Fruit Extract
HumectantLitsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
MaskingAcmella Oleracea Extract
Skin ProtectingHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantPhellodendron Amurense Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningPortulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin ConditioningDextrin
AbsorbentTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
AntioxidantChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningRoyal Jelly Extract
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Extract
AntiseborrhoeicPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeLupinus Albus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantWater, Butylene Glycol, Vegetable Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Propolis Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Hydroxyacetophenone, Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Propanediol, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Adenosine, Fructooligosaccharides, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Beta-Glucan, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Acmella Oleracea Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Royal Jelly Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
HumectantCaprylyl Methicone
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningMalachite Extract
AntioxidantBifida Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningBifida Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningLactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
HumectantPolymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
HumectantHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPancratium Maritimum Extract
BleachingCetearyl Olivate
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin ConditioningGlucose
HumectantTromethamine
BufferingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingFructooligosaccharides
HumectantFructose
HumectantSodium Phytate
ChelatingSilica
AbrasiveEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAlpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
CleansingMaltodextrin
AbsorbentLactobacillus
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Caprylyl Methicone, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Malachite Extract, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Sorbitan Olivate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glucose, Tromethamine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Fructooligosaccharides, Fructose, Sodium Phytate, Silica, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Maltodextrin, Lactobacillus, Carbomer
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer is a synthetically created polymer. It's used as a film-forming agent and used to thicken the consistency of products.
Think of it as a supportive ingredient that helps your gel-creams feel silky, "cloud cream-like", and spread evenly without being greasy.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it (along with 22 other acryloyldimethyltaurate polymers) and concluded it's:
Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating it.
Learn more about Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp CopolymerButylene 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 GlycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinFructooligosaccharides (FOS) are a type of prebiotic sugar with humectant and skin conditioning properties. As a humectant, they help attract and hold moisture in the skin.
FOS essentially acts as a food source for the "good" bacteria on your skin and make it harder for "bad" bacteria to thrive. A 2022 study using a reconstructured human skin model found that just 1% of FOS was enough to shift the bacteria balance in favor of beneficial species. This suggests it could help support a healthier skin microbiome over time.
This ingredient has a low sensitization risk and testing shows it does not classify as a skin irritant or sensitizer.
FOS are usually produced from sugar beets and can also be found in foods like bananas, garlic, and onions.
Learn more about FructooligosaccharidesGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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