What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-8
HumectantPEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingXylitol
Humectant
Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Isohexadecane
EmollientBifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, PEG-8, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Xylitol, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Saccharide Isomerate, Isohexadecane, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Allantoin, Chlorphenesin, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitan Oleate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Niacinamide, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Sodium Chloride, Methyl Gluceth-20, Xylitol, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Allantoin, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Polyglutamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinBifida Ferment Lysate is a postbiotic ingredient made by fermenting Bifidobacterium to extract a nutrient-rich mix of peptides, amino acids, vitamins, organic acids, and polysaccharides.
These components are basically the building blocks that your skin already uses to stay hydrated, repair itself, and maintain its barrier. That's why this ingredient helps your skin hold onto moisture and stay resilient against irritation.
One in-vitro study found that this ingredient tells your skin cells to produce more of the proteins (filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin) for building a strong and healthy barrier. This study also found this ingredient to be a solid antioxidant that helped neutralize damage against UV and pollution.
A study with people from 2010 found that sensitive, reactive skin using a cream with 10% of this ingredient for a month became noticeably less dry, less reactive, and harder to irritate compared to the group using a plain cream.
In short, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient that can help with barrier repair, antioxidant protection, and calming reactive skin.
This ingredient is generally considered fungal acne (Malassezia) safe; Bifidobacterium is a bacterium, not a yeast or fungus.
The fungal acne concern with fermented ingredients mainly applies to yeast-derived ferments like Saccharomyces and Galactomyces, because those are in the same kingdom as Malassezia and could theoretically contain residual compounds that feed it.
Bifida is a completely different organism, so on its own it doesn't provide a food source for the Malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about Bifida Ferment LysateCitric 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 HyaluronateWater. 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
