What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCeteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Camellia Sinensis Extract
Antioxidant
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientSerine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Alanine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCetrimonium Bromide
Antimicrobial
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Ceteareth-60 Myristyl Glycol, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Decyl Glucoside, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Polysorbate 20, Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Mandelic Acid, Betaine, Sodium PCA, Sorbitol, Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract, Serine, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Alanine, Arginine, Lysine, Threonine, Proline, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Cetrimonium Bromide, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingVitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningActinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract
EmollientHoney Extract
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Actinidia Chinensis is the extract from kiwi fruit. It contains antioxidants in the forms of Vitamin C and polyphenols.
Antioxidants help protect your skin against free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin.
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate is a type of sulfate. It can be bad for dry skin, cause irritation, and worsen rosacea.
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 GlycerinHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseMandelic Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA).
Like other AHAs, it helps exfoliate the surface of the skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
Mandelic acid helps with:
Due to it having a larger molecular size than glycolic acid, mandelic acid is able to penetrate the skin more slowly and evenly. This makes it gentler and less irritating, making it a great option for sensitive or beginner skin.
Despite being milder, mandelic acid is still an effective exfoliant that improves skin texture and tone over time.
What makes mandelic acid stand out from other AHAs? It has antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
These traits make it a great option for acne-prone or problem skin by reducing active breakouts and fading post-acne marks. Studies show that mandelic acid (especially when combined with salicylic acid) can significantly reduce pimples and hyperpigmentation while causing fewer side effects than stronger acids.
Mandelic acid is effective in concentrations of 5% and up with an ideal pH range of 3-4 for at-home use.
Like other AHAs, itβs important to wear sunscreen daily to protect your newly exfoliated skin.
However, unlike glycolic acid, mandelic acid is light-sensitive. Be sure your mandelic acid is packaged in opaque containers to ensure it stays stable and effective.
In short, mandelic acid is a gentle yet powerful AHA that exfoliates, brightens, and helps clarify skin while keeping irritation low. Its antibacterial action makes it especially beneficial for those with acne-prone, sensitive, or uneven skin, offering smoother, clearer, and more even-toned results over time.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Mandelic AcidMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolPropylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben with antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
This ingredient can be naturally found in plants and insects, but most of it is synthetically manufactured for human use. In cosmetics, it is usually created by reacting para-aminobenzoic acid and propanol (an alcohol).
You can usually find this ingredient in water-based products.
Parabens have come under controversy due to the claim they are hormone disruptors. Studies show conflicting results. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Propylparaben is commonly found in food, medicine, and cosmetics.
Learn more about PropylparabenWater. 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
