This anti-aging toner is formulated around Niacinamide and Sodium Hyaluronate to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.
This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Squalane to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Sorbus Aucuparia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24
EmulsifyingBeheneth-30
CleansingLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
Buffering
EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Sorbus Aucuparia Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, PPG-13-Decyltetradeceth-24, Beheneth-30, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Aphanothece Sacrum Exopolysaccharides
AbsorbentWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Diglycerin
Humectant
PEG-8
HumectantTriethylhexanoin
MaskingDiethoxyethyl Succinate
SolventDimethicone
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
PEG-6
HumectantPEG-32
HumectantPotassium Hydroxide
Buffering
Methylparaben
Preservative
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentDisodium Succinate
MaskingDisodium EDTA
Succinic Acid
BufferingPolyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Aphanothece Sacrum Exopolysaccharides, Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Diglycerin, PEG-8, Triethylhexanoin, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Dimethicone, Carbomer, Glyceryl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-6, PEG-32, Potassium Hydroxide, Methylparaben, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Disodium Succinate, Disodium EDTA, Succinic Acid, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Pentylene Glycol
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 GlycolCarbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is a type of Hyaluronic Acid.
Hyaluronic Acids help moisturize, soothe, and protect the skin.
Read about common types of Hyaluronic Acid here:
Learn more about Sodium Acetylated HyaluronateSodium 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 Hyaluronate
