What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLactic Acid
Buffering
Papain
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentMalpighia Punicifolia Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate
UV AbsorberParfum
Masking
Water, Glycolic Acid, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Butylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Papain, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Malpighia Punicifolia Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Cyanocobalamin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningPEG-32
HumectantCellulose
Absorbent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Water
Skin ConditioningSorbitol
Humectant
R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase
Skin ConditioningAnanas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Tetrasodium EDTA
Algin
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingIsopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCalcium Chloride
AstringentPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, PEG-32, Cellulose, Butylene Glycol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Water, Sorbitol, R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Algin, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Isopropyl Myristate, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Mica, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene 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 GlycolCitric 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 GlycerinThis one is the fancy name for pomegranate enzyme. It is created by fermenting pomegranate (Punica Granatum) with Lactobacillus bacteria.
The fermentation step breaks down the fruit's bound polyphenols into smaller, more skin-available forms. Most notably, Punicalagin gets converted into Ellagic Acid.
What you end up with is a water-loving ingredient packed with plant antioxidants and a gentle skin-dissolving enzyme that works in two ways:
1) it fights daily damage from things like pollution and UV
2) it lightly loosens dead skin cells on the surface for a smoother, brighter look.
The antioxidant side is the better studied half. Pomegranate's natural compounds help neutralize unstable molecules that damage skin cells and lab studies on skin cells show they can also help calm inflammation.
Exfoliation from this ingredient is soft; it gently loosens dead skin cells on the surface. Even manufacturers admit it's not as strong as AHAs like glycolic acid.
A 2022 human trial on a fermented pomegranate serum reported improvements in moisture, brightness, elasticity, spots, and collagen density after 4-8 weeks.
This ingredient is recommended to be used at 1-3% by suppliers. Since the Lactobacillus is a fermenting organism rather than live culture in a final product, there's no known fungal acne concern.
Just be sure to patch test or avoid if you have known pomegranate allergies.
Learn more about Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment ExtractLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc. The trade name for this ingredient is Leucidal.
Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid.
This ingredient has antimicrobial properties and helps prevent the growth of bacteria in a product.
Leuconostoc is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Learn more about Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment FiltratePhenoxyethanol 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 Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
