What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningLauric Acid
Cleansing
Butane
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingPropane
Sodium Chloride
MaskingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentFragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentAristotelia Chilensis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMalpighia Glabra Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Serotina Fruit Extract
MaskingSalix Alba Bark Water
Astringent
Broussonetia Kazinoki Root Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Water, Lauric Acid, Butane, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Propane, Sodium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Parfum, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Fragaria Chiloensis Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Aristotelia Chilensis Fruit Extract, Malpighia Glabra Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Panthenol, Prunus Serotina Fruit Extract, Salix Alba Bark Water, Broussonetia Kazinoki Root Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Surfactant
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Artemisia Annua Extract
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice
Skin Conditioning
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Oil
Masking
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingQuillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Glucoside, Artemisia Annua Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Disodium EDTA, Pinus Sylvestris Leaf Oil, Hexylene Glycol, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Ascorbic Acid
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.Â
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 preservativesÂ
Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C and is the biologically active form used directly by skin.
Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, but it also has plenty of benefits for your skin. It is best supported by academic literature for:
Topical vitamin C has been shown to help neutralize oxidative stress from UV and pollution, helping to improve photoaging and hyperpigmentation when used consistently.
One clinical study found that using 5% topical vitamin C for six months improved signs of photodamaged skin, both on the surface and in the deeper structural layers of the skin.
While vitamin C doesn’t replace sunscreen, studies show it can boost photoprotection when combined with Vitamin E and ferulic acid. These two ingredients help improve stability and protective effects.
The big downside of this ingredient is formulation difficulty. Vitamin C is prone to oxidation and doesn't penetrate the skin unless formulated correctly. Research found that vitamin C absorbs into the skin best at a low pH (< 3.5) with about 20% being the upper limit for effective absorption.
Skin levels can saturate after repeated application; this means your skin won’t keep absorbing more once it’s full of vitamin C. This is why more isn’t always better with vitamin C and why very high concentrations don’t necessarily give extra benefits.
Ascorbic acid generally works well with many skincare ingredients but can be irritating when combined with other active ingredients. Strong oxidizing acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide can reduce the effectiveness of vitamin C if they are used at the same time; they are often recommended for use at different times of day.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.
Learn more about Ascorbic AcidButylene 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 GlycolCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium 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 HyaluronateWater. 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
