This brightening toner is formulated around Tranexamic Acid and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate to fade the look of dark spots and calm redness.
This brightening toner is formulated around Ascorbyl Glucoside and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Diglycerin
Humectant
Benzyl Glycol
SolventDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
PEG-8
HumectantHydrolyzed Phospholipids
Skin ConditioningCitraconic Anhydride
EDTA
ChelatingStyrene/Vp Copolymer
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tranexamic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetyl Phosphate, Tocopherol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Diglycerin, Benzyl Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, PEG-8, Hydrolyzed Phospholipids, Citraconic Anhydride, EDTA, Styrene/Vp Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Citrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract
Astringent
Alpinia Zerumbet Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Tricaprylin
Perfuming
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Beheneth-5
EmulsifyingParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEDTA
ChelatingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Ascorbyl Glucoside, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ascorbic Acid, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Alpinia Zerumbet Seed Extract, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Isopentyldiol, Tricaprylin, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Beheneth-5, Paraffinum Liquidum, Dimethicone, Potassium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Behenyl Alcohol, Sodium Citrate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, EDTA, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Citric Acid, Water, Parfum
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 GlycolDipotassium Glycyrrhizate comes from licorice root.
Extracts of licorice have demonstrated to have antibacterial, anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant properties.
One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.
Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.
Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.
Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.
Licorice root is native to Southern Europe and Asia. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with respiratory issues.
Learn more about Dipotassium GlycyrrhizateEDTA is a chelating agent. This is just a fancy way of saying it grabs onto metal ions and holds them so they don't cause trouble.
Trace metals like iron, copper, and calcium sneak into products through water and raw materials. These metals make oils go rancid, cause color and texture changes, and stop preservatives and cleansers from doing their job properly.
EDTA locks them up so it's a neat little background helper ingredient.
Typical use is under 2% but numbers as high as 10-25% have been reported in hair color products.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel looked at the whole family and concluded they're safe as used. At cosmetic concentrations, they have not been found to be skin irritants or sensitizers.
Clinical testing has found no absorption through skin so the scary-sounding oral toxicity numbers from animal studies aren't relevant to a face cream.
One real formulation note: this ingredient is a penetration enhancer so it can slightly increase how much of the other ingredients get through (though this is more of a thing for formulators to work around).
Allergy is genuinely rare; there are a handful of case reports so be sure to avoid if you're patch test positive to EDTA.
Learn more about EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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 Phenoxyethanol
