This pore-care toner is formulated around Salicylic Acid and Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract to refine the look of pores and balance excess oil.
This acne treatment is formulated around Niacinamide and Salix Alba Bark Extract to clear breakouts and calm redness.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract
Skin Protecting
Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPolygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Castanea Crenata Shell Extract
Skin ConditioningZanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Pueraria Lobata Root Extract
HumectantOenothera Biennis Flower Extract
AstringentPinus Palustris Leaf Extract
TonicMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Citrate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Allantoin, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Castanea Crenata Shell Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, Oenothera Biennis Flower Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantMethylpropanediol
SolventGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPvm/Ma Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Dimethyl Sulfone
SolventPyridoxine Hcl
Skin ConditioningForsythia Suspensa Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract
Antioxidant
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingCopper Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Myrtus Communis Extract
AstringentTropaeolum Majus Extract
AntimicrobialEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Pvm/Ma Copolymer, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Dimethyl Sulfone, Pyridoxine Hcl, Forsythia Suspensa Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Carbomer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Tromethamine, Copper Tripeptide-1, Hydroxyacetophenone, Myrtus Communis Extract, Tropaeolum Majus Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractDisodium 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 EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenonePolygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract comes from the Japanese Knotweed plant native to Japan, Korea, and China.
This plant contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It contains high amounts of resveratrol, a potent antioxidant.
The root of the plant has been used in traditional folk medicine throughout Asia.
Learn more about Polygonum Cuspidatum Root ExtractWater. 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
