What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tripeptide-29
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Vigna Aconitifolia Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycogen
HumectantAesculus Hippocastanum Extract
Antioxidant
Enteromorpha Compressa Extract
Skin ProtectingCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Fructose
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialLactic Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Pentylene Glycol, Tripeptide-29, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vigna Aconitifolia Seed Extract, Glycogen, Aesculus Hippocastanum Extract, Enteromorpha Compressa Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Oryza Sativa Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Fructose, Gluconolactone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Gluconate, Maltodextrin, Calcium Gluconate, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Undecylenate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract
Antioxidant
Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract
AstringentTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprooyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Dextran
Alteromonas Ferment Extract
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phoenix Dactylifera Seed Extract
MoisturisingHylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Sodium PCA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Backhousia Citriodora Leaf Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Dextran, Alteromonas Ferment Extract, Butylene Glycol, Phoenix Dactylifera Seed Extract, Hylocereus Undatus Fruit Extract
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 GlycerinLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc. The trade name for this ingredient is Leucidal.
Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid.
This ingredient has antimicrobial properties and helps prevent the growth of bacteria in a product.
Leuconostoc is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Learn more about Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment FiltratePentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSodium 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 HyaluronateSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSodium PCA (the salt of PCA) is one of the most well-established humectants in skincare.
Why is it so special? Your skin already makes it naturally; it's a natural component of your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the mix of water-binding compounds inside your skin cells that keeps things soft and hydrated.
As a cosmetic ingredient, it grabs water and holds it in the upper layers of skin to smooth roughness and ease dehydration.
There's some clinical support for the NMF approach with a study showing that a cream built to mimic the skin's NMF significantly boosted hydration.
Safety-wise, this ingredient non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and non-phototoxic in testing, with minimal skin absorption.
It also works really well with other hydrators like glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and typical usage is somewhere between 0.2-4%.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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
