What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Isomalt
HumectantVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glutathione
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Antioxidant
Inonotus Obliquus Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phytol
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tranexamic Acid, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Isomalt, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glutathione, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Sodium PCA, Tocopherol, Water, Citric Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Phytol, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Maltodextrin, Disodium Phosphate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phosphate
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Benzimidazole Diamond Amidoethyl Urea Carbamoyl Propyl Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Cosmetic Colorant
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventHelianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Tristearate
Skin Conditioning
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Callus Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningGlutathione
Acetyl Cysteine
Antioxidant
Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol
Antioxidant
Ergothioneine
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSilica
Abrasive
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propanediol, Glycerin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Benzimidazole Diamond Amidoethyl Urea Carbamoyl Propyl Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Polyglyceryl-10 Tristearate, Ethoxydiglycol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Water, Caprylyl Glycol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Callus Culture Extract, Glutathione, Acetyl Cysteine, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Ergothioneine, Tocopherol, Gluconolactone, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Xanthan Gum, Silica, Sodium Benzoate, Calcium Gluconate, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
You might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.
Like other types of vitamin C, this ingredient has many benefits including reducing wrinkles, skin soothing, dark spot fading, and fighting against free radicals.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid interferes with the process of skin darkening, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation. It also encourages the skin to produce more collagen.
Once applied, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is converted to Vitamin C deeper in the skin's layers. This process is slow but makes this ingredient more tolerable for skin.
The optimum pH range for this ingredient is 4 - 5.5
Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic AcidGlutathione is an antioxidant naturally found in our bodies. It is made up of three amino acids: glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid.
As an antioxidant, it prevents oxidative damage to parts of our cell.
While glutathione is said to help with fading dark spots, the results from research are inconclusive. Further studies are needed. With that said, gluthatione has been shown to protect our skin from UV-B induced damage.
This ingredient is naturally occurring in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria.
Learn more about GlutathioneGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
