This brightening serum is formulated around Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Retinyl Palmitate to brighten dull-looking skin and soften the look of wrinkles.
This mild gel cleanser is made to cleanse while respecting your skin barrier.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Dimethicone
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Magnesium Sulfate
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Hexyl Laurate
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sorbitan Laurate
Emulsifying
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Methylparaben
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMedicago Sativa Extract
TonicEthylparaben
Preservative
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAcetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
Skin Conditioning
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Morus Alba Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone, Water, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Magnesium Sulfate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Hexyl Laurate, Phenoxyethanol, Retinyl Palmitate, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sorbitan Laurate, Salicylic Acid, Methylparaben, Carbomer, Medicago Sativa Extract, Ethylparaben, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Morus Alba Leaf Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingPEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
Emulsifying
Niacinamide
Smoothing
PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingMethylparaben
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCholesterol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
ChelatingPropylparaben
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tetrasodium EDTA
ChelatingHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Niacinamide, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Propylene Glycol, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Disodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer 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 CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinMethylparaben is a synthetic preservative and one of the most widely used in the world. It has a simple, but important job: prevent your products from going bad by stopping bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
Typical use levels are low, often 0.1-0.3%.
This is also one of the most heavily studied preservatives out there and major regulatory bodies have repeatedly given it the green light.
In 2023, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed that this ingredient is safe up to 0.4% on its own, of up to 0.8% when mixed with other paraben esters.
Here's the science behind the noise behind parabens/hormones as well:
Methylparaben shows very weak estrogen-like activity in vitro tests (more than 1,000x weaker than your body's own estradiol). In vivo (live-organism) studies don't support a meaningful endocrine-disrupting effect either.
You get a stronger estrogenic effect from eating tofu, actually.
It's also a low sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon; they usually happen on damage or broken skin.
There is a caveat: France has proposed to formally re-examine its endocrine classification in 2025 so the regulatory conversation isn't fully closed as of yet.
But as it stands today, this ingredient is considered safe at permitted levels.
Learn more about MethylparabenPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
