What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Lactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Sucrose Stearate
Emollient3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Epigallocatechin Gallate
Antioxidant
Superoxide Dismutase
Antioxidant
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Astaxanthin
Skin Conditioning
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingChondrus Crispus
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLactic Acid
Buffering
Acetic Acid
BufferingSodium Phytate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Dextran Sulfate
Gel Forming
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningLevulinic Acid
Perfuming
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenylpropanol
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Squalane, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glycerin, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Inulin, Sucrose Stearate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, C10-18 Triglycerides, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Superoxide Dismutase, Resveratrol, Astaxanthin, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Protein, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Tocopherol, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Lecithin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sclerotium Gum, Chondrus Crispus, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Propanediol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Levulinate, Levulinic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenylpropanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
3-Glyceryl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Acetyl Zingerone
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, 3-Glyceryl Ascorbate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Acetyl Zingerone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexylresorcinol, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Allantoin, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cellulose Gum, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
You might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.
Like other types of vitamin C, this ingredient has many benefits including reducing wrinkles, skin soothing, dark spot fading, and fighting against free radicals.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid interferes with the process of skin darkening, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation. It also encourages the skin to produce more collagen.
Once applied, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is converted to Vitamin C deeper in the skin's layers. This process is slow but makes this ingredient more tolerable for skin.
The optimum pH range for this ingredient is 4 - 5.5
Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitrateSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
Tocopherol 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
