What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice
Skin ConditioningOrmenis Multicaulis Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Zea Mays Oil
Emulsifying
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Taurine
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Teprenone
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPalmitoyl Oligopeptide
Cleansing
Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Citronellol
Perfuming
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Sodium Sulfite
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sorghum Bicolor Stalk Juice, Ormenis Multicaulis Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Zea Mays Oil, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Taurine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Teprenone, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Carbomer, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate, Phenoxyethanol, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Alcohol, Citronellol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Geraniol, Linalool, Sodium Sulfite
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Betaine
Humectant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Dextrin
AbsorbentTocopherol
Antioxidant
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol 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
