What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Diisopropyl Adipate
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Isobutylamido Thiazolyl Resorcinol
Bleaching
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Pimpinella Anisum Fruit Extract
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSynthetic Fluorphlogopite
Trisodium EDTA
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Alcohol Denat., Cocoglycerides, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Diisopropyl Adipate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Lauroyl Lysine, Isobutylamido Thiazolyl Resorcinol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Pimpinella Anisum Fruit Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Trisodium EDTA, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventDiisopropyl Adipate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tapioca Starch
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingIsobutylamido Thiazolyl Resorcinol
Bleaching
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Sulfate
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 AcidDiisopropyl Adipate comes from isopropyl alcohol and Adipic Acid.
It is a solvent and emollient. As a solvent, it is used to help other ingredients dissolve into the solution. It is also often used to soften hard ingredients.
Emollients help hydrate the skin by creating a thin barrier. This thin barrier prevents moisture from escaping.
Learn more about Diisopropyl AdipateGlycerin (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 GlycerinYou probably know this ingredient as Thiamidol. It is often called the "hydroquinone alternative" because of it's pigment-fighting abilities.
This ingredient is patented by Beiersdorf (the owner of Nivea, Eucerin, and La Prairie).
It works by in inhibiting tyrosinase (the enzyme your melanocytes use to produce melanin) so less pigment ends up deposited in your skin.
Here's something interesting:
Most brightening ingredients you've heard of like kojic acid, arbutin, and even hydroquinone were originally tested on mushroom tyrosinase. And it turns out, mushroom tyrosinase works pretty differently from the human kind.
So Beiersdorf screened 50,000 compounds against actual human tyrosinase, and Thiamidol came out as the strongest. It showed to be more potent than hydroquinone or arbutin at blocking the human enzyme.
It's been shown to fade melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, and sun spots at 0.1-0.2% twice daily with visible results in about four weeks. One randomized trial even found 0.2% Thiamidol worked just as well as 4% hydroquinone on melasma but with fewer side effects.
This ingredient is generally well-tolerated and minor irritation has been reported very infrequently.
Be sure to also check out Rucinol, another "hydroquinone alternative".
Learn more about Isobutylamido Thiazolyl ResorcinolIsopropyl Palmitate is a texture enhancer and emollient. It is an ester of isopropyl alcohol and palmitic acid.
Palmitates are emollients. Emollients help keep your skin soft and smooth by creating a barrier that traps moisture in.
When added to cosmetics, Isopropyl Palmitate creates a silky texture and improves spreadability.
Isopropyl Palmitate may not be fungal acne safe. It can worsen acne prone skin.
Learn more about Isopropyl PalmitatePhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium 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 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
