What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Fruit Water
MaskingMica
Cosmetic ColorantGlycerin
Humectant
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingHydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans
HumectantSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialLactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Fruit Water
MaskingLactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Copaifera Officinalis Resin
MaskingZinc PCA
Humectant
Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Squalene
Emollient
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientFoeniculum Vulgare Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Water, Citrus Limon Fruit Water, Lactobacillus Ferment, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Copaifera Officinalis Resin, Zinc PCA, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil, Squalene, Sodium Levulinate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Sodium Anisate, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Foeniculum Vulgare Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Beta-Sitosterol, Tocopherol, Lactic 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.
Citrus Limon Fruit Water comes from lemons.
Lemons contains antioxidants, which may help with anti-aging. They are also rich in citric acid, an AHA. And of course, lemons are rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps with skin-brightening and increasing collagen production.
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 GlycerinLactic Acid is another well-loved alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It is gentler than glycolic acid but still highly effective.
Its main role is to exfoliate the surface of the skin by loosening the âglueâ that holds dead skin cells together. Shedding those old cells leads to smoother, softer, and more even-toned skin.
Because lactic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid, they donât penetrate as deeply. This means theyâre less likely to sting or irritate, making it a great choice for beginners or those with sensitive skin.
Like glycolic acid, it can:
Lactic acid also acts as a humectant (like hyaluronic acid). It can draw water into the skin to improve hydration and also plays a role in the skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the form of sodium lactate.
Studies show it can boost ceramide production to strengthen the skin barrier and even help balance the skinâs microbiome.
To get results, choose products with a pH between 3-4.
Lower strengths (5-12%) focus on surface exfoliation; higher strengths (12% and up) can reach deeper in the dermis (deeper, supportive layer) to improve skin texture and firmness over time.
Though it was originally derived from milk, most modern lactic acid used in skincare is vegan. It is made through non-dairy fermentation to create a bio-identical and stable form suitable for all formulations.
When lactic acid shows up near the end of an ingredient list, it usually means the brand added just a tiny amount to adjust the productâs pH.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Lactic acid is truly a gentle multitasker: it exfoliates, hydrates, strengthens, and brightens. It's a great ingredient for giving your skin a smooth, glowing, and healthy look without the harshness of stronger acids.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidSodium Anisate comes from fennel. It is used as a preservative and to add flavoring.
Sodium Anisate has antimicrobial properties.
Sodium levulinate is the a sodium salt of Levulinic Acid. Oncedissolved in an aqueous solution, the two ingredients become identical. It is usually derived from renewable plant sources like corn starch or sugarcane.
In skincare, it mostly acts as a skin conditioning agent that keeps skin soft and hydrated. It also acts as a preservative booster by inhibiting the growth of mold, yeast, and bacteria.
It's often paired with Sodium Anisate as the two create a broad-spectrum preservative system that is popular in "natural" formulations.
This ingredient is water-soluble.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be non-irritated and there are no restrictions for use in EU cosmetics. The FDA also allows this ingredient to be used as a food-grade flavoring agent.
Learn more about Sodium LevulinateWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
