What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningGlucose
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Fructose
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Citrate
BufferingXanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Artemisia Vulgaris Oil
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil
Masking
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Cynanchum Atratum Extract
Skin ConditioningLaurus Nobilis Leaf Extract
MaskingAlthaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hordeum Distichon Extract
Skin ProtectingHamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Cryptomeria Japonica Leaf Extract
HumectantNelumbo Nucifera Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Octanediol
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Glucose, Allantoin, Fructooligosaccharides, Fructose, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Citrate, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Artemisia Vulgaris Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil, Acetyl Glucosamine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Laurus Nobilis Leaf Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Gluconolactone, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Hordeum Distichon Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Cryptomeria Japonica Leaf Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Octanediol
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
Solvent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water
AntimicrobialLactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodeceth-16
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water, Lactobacillus Ferment, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Citrate, Allantoin, Octyldodeceth-16, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinButylene 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 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.
Though naturally occuring in Norwegian spruce needles, this ingredient is usually synthetically created.
This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing. Recent research also suggests it may have skin-brightening effects through tyrosinase inhibition.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneSodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.
Its main functions are to maintain the pH of a product and neutralize metal ions.
The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome; normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5).
Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Learn more about Sodium CitrateWater. 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
