What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Gellan Gum
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Gellan Gum, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Salicylic Acid, Lactic Acid, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMelatonin
Antioxidant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil
Humectant
Geranyl Linalool 0.045%
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearic Acid, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tocopherol, Phospholipids, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Melatonin, Persea Gratissima Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Xanthan Gum, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil, Geranyl Linalool 0.045%
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinSodium Anisate comes from fennel. It is used as a preservative and to add flavoring.
Sodium Anisate has antimicrobial properties.
Sodium levulinate is the a sodium salt of Levulinic Acid. Oncedissolved in an aqueous solution, the two ingredients become identical. It is usually derived from renewable plant sources like corn starch or sugarcane.
In skincare, it mostly acts as a skin conditioning agent that keeps skin soft and hydrated. It also acts as a preservative booster by inhibiting the growth of mold, yeast, and bacteria.
It's often paired with Sodium Anisate as the two create a broad-spectrum preservative system that is popular in "natural" formulations.
This ingredient is water-soluble.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be non-irritated and there are no restrictions for use in EU cosmetics. The FDA also allows this ingredient to be used as a food-grade flavoring agent.
Learn more about Sodium LevulinateWater. 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
