What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlucose
Humectant
Phytic Acid
Bromelain
Skin Conditioning
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Glycolate
BufferingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water
MaskingAnanas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCarica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Decyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Glucose, Phytic Acid, Bromelain, Papain, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Glycolate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Ascorbic Acid, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Sucrose Stearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningLauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingXylitylglucoside
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Rosa Canina Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glucose
Humectant
Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides Citrate
EmollientBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Xanthan Gum, Xylitylglucoside, Parfum, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid, Alcohol, Tocopherol, Glucose, Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides Citrate, Benzyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Limonene, Linalool
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 AcidDecyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideGlucose is a simple sugar (a monosaccharide). In skincare, it is mostly a humectant and skin conditioning agent.
Mechanistically, it has multiple hydroxyl groups that hydrogen-bond to water. This pulls moisture into the upper layers of skin to keep the surface soft and hydrated.
It's worth knowing sugars are already a natural component of the skin's NMF (natural moisturizing factor) so it's a molecule that your stratum corneum is well-acquainted with.
Just so you know, glucose is hydrophilic (water-loving) and the stratum corneum is a strong barrier to hydrophilic compounds. This just means penetration is slow and most of the action is happening on the surface.
Gram-to-gram, glucose is not as efficient as a humectant as glycerin. This is why you'll likely see glycose paired with stronger humectants for a bigger hydration payoff.
In skincare, glucose is typically derived from corn or other starch sources.
Learn more about GlucoseGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
