What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
PPG-5-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingPEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
Buffering2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
Skin ConditioningKaolin
Abrasive
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Polyquaternium-53
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Coco-Betaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Chloride, Niacinamide, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, Kaolin, Coconut Acid, Propylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-53, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Salicylic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Cholesterol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Inulin, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Cholesterol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Behenic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Levulinate, Potassium Sorbate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, 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.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateSodium 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 Water
