What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningOpuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Garcinia Cambogia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBetula Alba Bark Extract
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCanola Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Steareth-21
CleansingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glycerin, Squalane, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Oil, Garcinia Cambogia Fruit Extract, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Canola Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Steareth-21, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Ceramide Ag
Humectant
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Colloidal Oatmeal
Absorbent
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingOleic Acid
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cholesterol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Sodium Phytate
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sucrose Distearate
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, 1,2-Hexanediol, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceramide Ag, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide NP, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Colloidal Oatmeal, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Dipropylene Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Cholesterol, Citric Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Phytate, Stearic Acid, Sucrose Distearate, Hydroxyacetophenone
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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 GlycerinHydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTocopherol 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
