What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium PCA
Humectant
Maltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantPropanediol
Solvent
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract
Antimicrobial
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingSarcosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningZinc PCA
Humectant
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium PCA, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Propanediol, Salicylic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Inulin, Gluconolactone, Panthenol, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Capryloyl Glycine, Sarcosine, Sodium Gluconate, Zinc PCA
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingPropanediol
Solvent
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Maltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantNiacinamide
Smoothing
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Trehalose
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Propanediol, Sodium PCA, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Niacinamide, Inulin, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate, Trehalose, Panthenol, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Sodium Gluconate, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bifida Ferment Lysate is a postbiotic ingredient made by fermenting Bifidobacterium to extract a nutrient-rich mix of peptides, amino acids, vitamins, organic acids, and polysaccharides.
These components are basically the building blocks that your skin already uses to stay hydrated, repair itself, and maintain its barrier. That's why this ingredient helps your skin hold onto moisture and stay resilient against irritation.
One in-vitro study found that this ingredient tells your skin cells to produce more of the proteins (filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin) for building a strong and healthy barrier. This study also found this ingredient to be a solid antioxidant that helped neutralize damage against UV and pollution.
A study with people from 2010 found that sensitive, reactive skin using a cream with 10% of this ingredient for a month became noticeably less dry, less reactive, and harder to irritate compared to the group using a plain cream.
In short, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient that can help with barrier repair, antioxidant protection, and calming reactive skin.
This ingredient is generally considered fungal acne (Malassezia) safe; Bifidobacterium is a bacterium, not a yeast or fungus.
The fungal acne concern with fermented ingredients mainly applies to yeast-derived ferments like Saccharomyces and Galactomyces, because those are in the same kingdom as Malassezia and could theoretically contain residual compounds that feed it.
Bifida is a completely different organism, so on its own it doesn't provide a food source for the Malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about Bifida Ferment LysateDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Gluconolactone is a PHA. PHAs are a great gentle alternative to traditional AHAs.
When applied, Gluconolactone has the same affect on skin as AHAs such as lactic acid. It helps dissolve the dead skin cells in the top layer of your skin. This improves texture and brightens the skin.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. They do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
Gluconolactone has some interesting properties:
In a 2004 study, Gluconolactone was found to prevent UV damage in mouse skin cells and has not been found to increase sun sensitivity. However, we still recommend wearing SPF daily.
This ingredient is is an created by reacting gluconic acid with an alcohol.
Learn more about GluconolactoneGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate is a made up of a mixture of sugar alcohols (like sorbitol) and is created by hydrogenating corn, wheat, or potato starch.
It acts as a humectant and draws water to the skin to keep it hydrated. Generally, this is a well-tolerated and non-irritating ingredient.
Inulin is a polysaccharide (carbohydrate) with prebiotic and antioxidant properties.
The majority of inulin is extracted from chicory, but can also be obtained from other plants such as garlic, onion, asparagus, and sugarcane.
Studies show inulin may help with controlling your skin's natural microbiota when applied topically.
The antioxidant potential of inulin varies depending on the source.
Learn more about InulinWe don't have a description for Maltooligosyl Glucoside yet.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateThis is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.
It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.
Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.
Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.
Learn more about Sodium GluconateSodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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
