What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTromethamine
BufferingTrehalose
Humectant
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Juniperus Mexicana Oil
Masking
Dextrin
AbsorbentTheobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningEucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Coriandrum Sativum Fruit Oil
Masking
Biosaccharide Gum-4
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Phosphatidylcholine
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glycine
Buffering
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Threonine
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Glycerin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Water, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, Trehalose, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Coriandrum Sativum Fruit Oil, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phosphatidylcholine, Ceramide NP, Glycine, Glutamic Acid, Serine, Lysine, Alanine, Arginine, Threonine, Proline
Water
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventSnail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingTrehalose
Humectant
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Saccharide Hydrolysate
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pullulan
Propanediol
Solvent
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Methylpropanediol, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Trehalose, Fructooligosaccharides, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Polyacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pullulan, Propanediol, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Phenoxyethanol
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
Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down on their own as skin ages, so Adenosine helps give them a little nudge to keep going.
The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at 2 months.
A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
Learn more about AdenosineCarbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerEthylhexylglycerin 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 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 HyaluronateTrehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.
In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.
Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.
Learn more about TrehaloseTromethamine (aka THAM) is a synthetic amino acid that shows up in skincare as a helper ingredient.
It functions as a pH adjuster to help neutralize acidic ingredients and set a formula's pH to the right spot.
This matters a lot because a lot of actives (like vitamin C) needs a specific pH to work well and feel comfortable on skin.
Concentration use ranges from 0.1-1.0% depending on the formula.
Learn more about TromethamineWater. 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
