What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract
Skin ConditioningAspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSorbitol
Humectant
Lecithin
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Urea
Buffering
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Serine
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Panthenol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Pentylene Glycol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lepidium Sativum Sprout Extract, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Sorbitol, Lecithin, Allantoin, Maltodextrin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactic Acid, Urea, Sodium Lactate, Serine, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propanediol
Solvent
Triheptanoin
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Ethyl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning
Isosorbide Dicaprylate
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
PCA
Humectant
Lactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Lysine
Skin ConditioningSerine
Masking
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Lysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Arginine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Matrixyl 3000
Magnesium Chloride
Potassium Chloride
Manganese Chloride
Skin ConditioningAluminum Chloride
AstringentCopper Sulfate
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Zinc Chloride
AntimicrobialMalic Acid
Buffering
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Propanediol, Triheptanoin, Dimethicone, Betaine, Ethyl Macadamiate, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Sodium PCA, Ceramide Ng, PCA, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Lysine, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Lysine Hcl, Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Glutamic Acid, Gluconolactone, Matrixyl 3000, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Manganese Chloride, Aluminum Chloride, Copper Sulfate, Tocopherol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Zinc Chloride, Malic Acid, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carbomer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lactate, Trideceth-6, Sodium Phytate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, 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.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinLactic Acid is another well-loved alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It is gentler than glycolic acid but still highly effective.
Its main role is to exfoliate the surface of the skin by loosening the âglueâ that holds dead skin cells together. Shedding those old cells leads to smoother, softer, and more even-toned skin.
Because lactic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid, they donât penetrate as deeply. This means theyâre less likely to sting or irritate, making it a great choice for beginners or those with sensitive skin.
Like glycolic acid, it can:
Lactic acid also acts as a humectant (like hyaluronic acid). It can draw water into the skin to improve hydration and also plays a role in the skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the form of sodium lactate.
Studies show it can boost ceramide production to strengthen the skin barrier and even help balance the skinâs microbiome.
To get results, choose products with a pH between 3-4.
Lower strengths (5-12%) focus on surface exfoliation; higher strengths (12% and up) can reach deeper in the dermis (deeper, supportive layer) to improve skin texture and firmness over time.
Though it was originally derived from milk, most modern lactic acid used in skincare is vegan. It is made through non-dairy fermentation to create a bio-identical and stable form suitable for all formulations.
When lactic acid shows up near the end of an ingredient list, it usually means the brand added just a tiny amount to adjust the productâs pH.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Lactic acid is truly a gentle multitasker: it exfoliates, hydrates, strengthens, and brightens. It's a great ingredient for giving your skin a smooth, glowing, and healthy look without the harshness of stronger acids.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Serine is a non-essential amino acid (your body makes it on its own!). It is a major player in your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Serine is one of your NMF's most abundant components that works as a skin-identical humectant. Its hydroxyl group grabs onto water molecules to boost hydration without any heaviness or occlusion.
Research on a hydrogel with serine confirmed this serine got delivered to your stratum corneum and demonstrated enhanced skin moisturization.
Interestingly serine also helps your skin produce filaggrin, a protein that keeps your skin barrier strong and used to create collagen.
Learn more about SerineSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium Lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid, an AHA. It is a humectant and sometimes used to adjust the pH of a product.
This ingredient is part of our skin's NMF, or natural moisturizing factor. Our NMF is essential for the hydration of our top skin layers and plasticity of skin. NMF also influences our skin's natural acid mantle and pH, which protects our skin from harmful bacteria.
High percentages of Sodium Lactate can have an exfoliating effect.
Fun fact: Sodium Lactate is produced from fermented sugar.
Learn more about Sodium LactateWater. 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
