What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Placental Protein
HumectantArbutin
Antioxidant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Germ Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ceteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingPEG-75 Stearate
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Rice Ferment Filtrate, Glutamic Acid, Arginine, Leucine, Glycine, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Placental Protein, Arbutin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Oryza Sativa Germ Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Squalane, Propanediol, Dimethicone, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Tocopherol, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, PEG-75 Stearate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTriethylhexanoin
MaskingDiphenyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate
Skin Conditioning
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-Crosspolymer
Vigna Radiata Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningIsomerized Safflower Acid
Skin ConditioningSoluble Collagen
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Succinic Acid
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Triethylhexanoin, Diphenyl Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carbomer, PEG-Crosspolymer, Vigna Radiata Seed Extract, Isomerized Safflower Acid, Soluble Collagen, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Succinic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben
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 high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCitric 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 AcidDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinMethylparaben is a preservative and is a paraben. It is used to prevent the growth of fungus, mold, and other harmful bacteria. Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in both cosmetics and food.
Methylparaben can be synthetically created. It can also be found naturally in some fruits, such as blueberries.
Oftentimes, Methylparaben is combined with other parabens to help increase the shelf life.
The safety of Methylparaben is currently being studied. While ongoing studies are looking into the safety of parabens, the results have been very mixed. Some studies have not found Methylparaben to be harmful.
Learn more about MethylparabenPhenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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
