Face Primer
Toner
Japanese Japan
Japanese Japan

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Cyclopentasiloxane

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Titanium Dioxide

Cosmetic Colorant
0 / 0 UV Protection IconMineral UV Filter IconNon-Reef-Safe Icon

Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone

Emulsifying
Silicon Icon

Octyldodecyl Myristate

Emollient

Triethylhexanoin

Masking

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning
Good for Barrier Repair Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone

Emulsifying
Silicon Icon

Disteardimonium Hectorite

Stabilising

Trimethylsiloxysilicate

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Lauroyl Lysine

Skin Conditioning
Good for Oily Skin Icon

Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer

Silicon IconGood for Oily Skin Icon

Sodium Chloride

Masking

Aluminum Hydroxide

Emollient

Stearic Acid

Cleansing
2-3 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Dipentaerythrityl Tri-Polyhydroxystearate

Emollient
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate

Skin Conditioning

Tribehenin

Emollient
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer

Skin Conditioning
Silicon Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate

Skin Conditioning

Methicone

Emollient
Silicon Icon

Biosaccharide Gum-4

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Hydroxystearic Acid

Cleansing
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Silica

Abrasive
Exfoliant IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores Icon

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Skin Conditioning
Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Carnosine

Skin Conditioning
Helps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Taurine

Buffering

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Lysine Hcl

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Polyquaternium-61

Skin Conditioning

Glutamic Acid

Humectant
Helps reduce irritation Icon

Glycine

Buffering
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Leucine

Skin Conditioning

Histidine Hcl

Skin Conditioning

Serine

Masking
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Valine

Masking

Tin Oxide

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Zinc Aspartate

Skin Conditioning

Threonine

Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Alanine

Masking
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Isoleucine

Skin Conditioning

Allantoin

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Phenylalanine

Masking
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Arginine

Masking
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Proline

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Tyrosine

Masking

Alginic Acid

Skin Conditioning

Disodium Guanylate

Emollient

Talc

Abrasive
1 / 0 Exfoliant Icon

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Boron Nitride

Absorbent
Good for Oily Skin Icon

Iron Oxides

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Masking, Skin Conditioning

Alanine is an amino acid and is already found in the human body. Our skin uses alanine to build collagen, elastin, and keratin.

Masking, Skin Conditioning

Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.

It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.

Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.

A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.

Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.

One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.

Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.

Learn more about Arginine
Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

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 Glycol
Skin Conditioning

Carnosine is a dipeptide made from two amino acids.

This ingredient helps:

Glycation is the process of sugars binding to and damaging proteins. Too much sugar in our skin can lead to damaged collagen, contributing to factors of aging.

Carnosine is water-soluble and is not able to travel deeper layers of skin. This leads to some doubt about whether it can boost collagen in skin, since collagen is located in the deeper layers of skin.

Fun fact: Carnosine can be naturally found in our muscles and brain.

Learn more about Carnosine
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin (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 Glycerin
Buffering, Skin Conditioning

Glycine is the smallest amino acid and a key building block of collagen. It's part if your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.

A study from 2022 found that an amino acid complex featuring taurine, arginine, and glycine significantly reduced skin irritation, improved redness, and accelerated the skin repair process.

Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Leucine yet.

Skin Conditioning

Lysine HCl is an alpha amino acid salt.

Our skin uses amino acids as a precursor for building protein, and therefore keratins, collagen and elastin.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.

The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.

This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.

Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.

Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.

Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.

Learn more about Pentylene Glycol
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Skin Conditioning

We don't have a description for Polyquaternium-61 yet.

Skin Conditioning

Proline is a non-essential amino acid, meaning your body can make it on its own. In skincare, it is a skin conditioning ingredient that keeps skin soft and hydrated.

It makes up about 23% of the collagen molecule (collagen is the protein responsible for keeping your skin firm) and is involved in your skin's natural hyaluronic acid production. When applied topically, proline can penetrate the skin fairly well due to its small molecular size.

Reviews of this ingredient have found it to be neither a dermal irritant nor a sensitizer.

Fun fact: Proline can be found in protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.

Learn more about Proline
Masking, Skin Conditioning

Serine is a non-essential amino acid (your body makes it on its own!). It is a major player in your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.

Serine is one of your NMF's most abundant components that works as a skin-identical humectant. Its hydroxyl group grabs onto water molecules to boost hydration without any heaviness or occlusion.

Research on a hydrogel with serine confirmed this serine got delivered to your stratum corneum and demonstrated enhanced skin moisturization.

Interestingly serine also helps your skin produce filaggrin, a protein that keeps your skin barrier strong and used to create collagen.

Learn more about Serine

Threonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.

Our skin uses threonine for creating collagen and elastin. Humans are not able to create threonine and must get it through eating foods such as fish, lentils, poultry, sesame seeds, and more.

Masking, Skin Conditioning

Valine is an essential amino acid. It is used by our bodies for tissue repair and muscle growth.

An essential amino acid is one in which our bodies cannot naturally produce so we must get them through diet. Foods such as eggs, dairy, red meat, and fish contain valine.

This ingredient can either be derived from an animal product or be synthetically created.

Learn more about Valine
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. 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

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