This brightening toner pad uses a pre-saturated pad with Niacinamide and Tranexamic Acid to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.
This smoothing toner pad uses a pre-saturated pad with Gluconolactone and Capryloyl Salicylic Acid to refine skin texture.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMalpighia Glabra Fruit Water
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cynanchum Atratum Extract
Skin ConditioningPhellinus Linteus Extract
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract
AstringentRubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentSambucus Nigra Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin Protecting
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentCentella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDextrin
AbsorbentTranexamic Acid
Astringent
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Xyloglucan
HumectantAscorbic Acid Polypeptide
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Malpighia Glabra Fruit Water, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Phellinus Linteus Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Rubus Fruticosus Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Butylene Glycol, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Phytate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Dextrin, Tranexamic Acid, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Ascorbic Acid, Propanediol, Xyloglucan, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Xanthan Gum, Caffeine, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Houttuynia Cordata Water 88%
MaskingWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
Solvent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Trehalose
Humectant
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sedum Sarmentosum Extract
HumectantAnastatica Hierochuntica Extract
AstringentCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract
Skin Protecting
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCoffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPolygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Castanea Crenata Shell Extract
Skin ConditioningZanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHouttuynia Cordata Water 88%, Water, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Trehalose, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Betaine, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sedum Sarmentosum Extract, Anastatica Hierochuntica Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Gluconolactone, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Castanea Crenata Shell Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
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
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone 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 HydroxyacetophenoneMethylpropanediol is a synthetic solvent and humectant.
As a solvent, it helps dissolve other ingredients, helping to evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product. This ingredient has also been shown to have antimicrobial properties which makes it a preservative booster.
Methylpropanediol is able to add a bit of moisture to the skin. It also helps other ingredients be better absorbed into the skin, such as salicylic acid.
Learn more about MethylpropanediolWater. 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
