What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningTriisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol Dicaprylate
EmollientDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientC12-16 Alcohols
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Saccharide Hydrolysate
HumectantCitric Acid
Buffering
Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientWater, Triisostearin, Propanediol Dicaprylate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, C12-16 Alcohols, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Lecithin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Citric Acid, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Maris Aqua
HumectantSodium Acrylates Copolymer
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose
Absorbent
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentPropanediol
Solvent
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Polyhydroxystearate
EmollientOryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium Phytate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingHydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Extract
EmollientPorphyridium Cruentum Extract
Skin ConditioningPhragmites Communis Extract
Skin ConditioningPoria Cocos Extract
Skin ConditioningBackhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract
AstringentSodium Benzoate
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAlanyl Glutamine
HumectantArginine
Masking
Oligopeptide-177
Phenylalanine
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingEpigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Maris Aqua, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cellulose, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Propanediol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Ethylhexyl Polyhydroxystearate, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Squalane, Lecithin, Sodium Phytate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Maltodextrin, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Extract, Porphyridium Cruentum Extract, Phragmites Communis Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Alanyl Glutamine, Arginine, Oligopeptide-177, Phenylalanine, Potassium Sorbate, Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil, Sodium Chloride, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
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
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 GlycerinHydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Learn more about LecithinMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinMicrocrystalline Cellulose is another name for refined wood pulp. It is used as an emulsifier and mattifying ingredient. As an emulsifier, it helps keep ingredients together.
This ingredient is a synthetic, salt form polymer built from acrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, or their simple esters. It works as a binder, film former, and viscosity increasing agent.
Typical concentrations start at around 0.5% but can go up to 25% for film-forming or binding.
The CIR Expert Panel assessed the safety of 126 acrylates copolymers and concluded they are safe in cosmetics at current use levels when formulated to be non-irritating. They also noted the levels present in finished cosmetic products are not considered a safety risk and Genotoxicity testing (Ames tests, chromosomal aberration assays) has come back negative across the board.
Though the raw building blocks (like acrylic acid) can be irritating on their own, cosmetic-grade versions go through purification to keep levels extremely low.
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer is a large molecule that doesn't penetrate skin barrier in any meaningful way.
Learn more about Sodium Acrylates CopolymerWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
