What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningCanarium Luzonicum Gum Nonvolatiles
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Citric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil
Masking
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
EmollientLysine
Skin ConditioningLeucine
Skin ConditioningMethionine
Skin ConditioningFicus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Valine
MaskingCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Rhus Semialata Gall Extract
Skin ConditioningOxygen
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cysteine
Antioxidant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Tyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Histidine
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Water, Canarium Luzonicum Gum Nonvolatiles, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Glycine, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract, Lysine, Leucine, Methionine, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Valine, Centella Asiatica Extract, Rhus Semialata Gall Extract, Oxygen, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cysteine, Aspartic Acid, Isoleucine, Alanine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Histidine
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 GlycerinParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilWater. 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
