What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingRosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningXylitylglucoside
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Cetrimonium Bromide
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingXylitol
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Enteromorpha Compressa Extract
Skin ProtectingLysine
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Chloride
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Chloride
Zinc Chloride
AntimicrobialPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingPolyglyceryl-4 Cocoate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingLimonene
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate, Squalane, Glycerin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Enteromorpha Compressa Extract, Lysine, Magnesium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Chloride, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Polyglyceryl-4 Cocoate, Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Hexylene Glycol, Limonene, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool
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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 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 GlycerinHexylene 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 GlycolPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Water. 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
