What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Scenedesmus Deserticola Ferment Extract
HumectantLactobacillus/Aspergillus/Prunus Mume Fruit Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningShorea Stenoptera Seed Butter
Emollient
Lactobacillus/Pear Juice Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hypericum Perforatum Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Alkanna Tinctoria Root Extract
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Butylene Glycol, Betaine, Scenedesmus Deserticola Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus/Aspergillus/Prunus Mume Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter, Lactobacillus/Pear Juice Ferment Filtrate, Panthenol, Citric Acid, Hypericum Perforatum Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Alkanna Tinctoria Root Extract, Parfum, Linalool, Geraniol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
EmollientSucrose Stearate
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-8 Stearate
Emulsifying
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine
Skin Conditioning
BHT
Antioxidant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane, Squalane, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Sucrose Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, PEG-8 Stearate, Myristyl Myristate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Chlorphenesin, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Oil, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Myristic Acid, Hydroxypalmitoyl Sphinganine, BHT, Salicylic Acid, Citric 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.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateTocopherol 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 Water
