What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin 21%
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
C30-45 Alkyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Polybutene
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Manganese Gluconate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin 21%, Water, Dimethicone, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, C30-45 Alkyl Dimethicone, Polybutene, Sodium Citrate, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Dimethiconol, Polysorbate 20, Madecassoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Manganese Gluconate, Tocopherol
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Silybum Marianum Ethyl Ester
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Olivate
Coffea Arabica Seed Oil
Masking
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract
EmollientTerminalia Arjuna Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil
Emollient
Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract
AntiseborrhoeicCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Silybum Marianum Ethyl Ester, Cetearyl Olivate, Coffea Arabica Seed Oil, Sorbitan Olivate, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Terminalia Arjuna Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Oleic Acid, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Sclerotium Gum, Lecithin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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 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 Tocopherol
