What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Citrus Limon Juice
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Cerasus Juice
Skin ConditioningVitis Vinifera
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLysolecithin
EmulsifyingPullulan
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSalvia Officinalis Extract
Antimicrobial
Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningNannochloropsis Oculata Extract
HumectantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialCitric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Aurantifolia Oil
Cleansing
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Amara Peel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Viola Odorata Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Juice, Prunus Cerasus Juice, Vitis Vinifera, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Gluconolactone, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Lysolecithin, Pullulan, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Levulinate, Salvia Officinalis Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Anisate, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Peel Oil, Viola Odorata 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 GlycerinTocopherol 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 Tocopherol
