What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aspergillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Tranexamate Mesylate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Caprylyl Glyceryl Ether
CleansingCapryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Arginine
Masking
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Aspergillus Ferment, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Saccharomyces Ferment, Cetyl Tranexamate Mesylate, Glyceryl Stearate, Niacinamide, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Panthenol, Palmitic Acid, Caprylyl Glyceryl Ether, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Stearic Acid, Arginine, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Steareth-20
CleansingDipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
N-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningChrysin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Extract
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMethylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Steareth-20, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Propanediol, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Chrysin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Hyaluronic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Carbomer, Methylisothiazolinone
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 GlycerinPropanediol 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 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
