What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantDimethicone
Emollient
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Phosphate
CleansingCoix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCholesteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate
EmollientOctyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Phosphate, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Cholesteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Phytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Tocopherol, Methylparaben
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Opuntia Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract
RefreshingTaraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Squalane, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Opuntia Vulgaris Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THD) is a stable and oil-soluble form of Vitamin C.
THD is special in that it has the ability to travel deeper into skin than traditional ascorbic acid while maintaining the same skin benefits (double win!).
Because it’s oil-soluble, THD dives deep into your skin’s fatty layers (think ceramides and cholesterol) to fight off the kind of free radicals that mess with your skin barrier. This makes it a great pair with water-based vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that mainly works on the surface.
Even at just 0.1%, THD is already showing great antioxidant activity. When used up to 2%, it helps keep your skin happy and calm, especially when it’s stressed from pollution or sun.
Want to fade dark spots or tackle hyperpigmentation? You’ll want 5% or more. Pairing it with brightening buddies like niacinamide or licorice root gives even better results. One study even used 30% THD with other brighteners and saw real results on stubborn discoloration, even in melasma-prone skin.
A note on THD: It’s has a slightly silky, oily texture and usually shows up colorless or pale yellow (though the exact shade can vary by supplier).
While you can sneak it into water-based formulas, it really shines when paired with silicones or oils, which help your skin soak it up better.
THD is pretty stable, but it’s still vulnerable to degradation like ascorbic acid. Too much light or heat (above 113°F / 45°C) can break it down over time. Go for dark and opaque packaging that keeps it safe and shady!
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Learn more about Tetrahexyldecyl AscorbateWater. 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
