What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aroma
Tetrasodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTranexamic Acid
Astringent
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Lactobionic Acid
Buffering
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Glucose
Humectant
Nonapeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningWater, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Caffeine, Sodium PCA, Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Aroma, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tranexamic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Niacinamide, Lactobionic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Carnosine, Glucose, Nonapeptide-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate
Water
Skin ConditioningCollagen Water
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningArginine
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Cyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Collagen Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Elastin
EmollientGalactomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sh-Polypeptide-22
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Oligopeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-3
Skin Conditioning
Water, Collagen Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glycerin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Arginine, Allantoin, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Polyacrylate, Cyanocobalamin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen Extract, Hydrolyzed Elastin, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sh-Polypeptide-22, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-3
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidWater. 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
