What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Pantothenic Acid
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Menthol
Masking
Eucalyptus Globulus Oil
Mentha Spicata Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Water, Glycolic Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Propanediol, Glycerin, Pantothenic Acid, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Menthol, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, Mentha Spicata Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Water
Skin ConditioningAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
PPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Fish Oil
Skin Conditioning
Water, Alcohol Denat., Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Parfum, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Fish Oil
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 GlycerinGlycolic Acid is arguably the most famous alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) with tons of research backing its benefits.
It is found naturally in sugar cane but the form used in skincare is usually synthetic for purity and stability.
Glycolic acid removes the top layer of dead skin cells to allow newer and fresher ones to emerge.
AHAs work by breaking down the structural âglueâ that holds old skin cells in place. When that buildup is gone, your skin can renew itself more efficiently.
Research also shows glycolic acid stimulates collagen production, helping to firm and thicken the skin over time. This is one of its biggest advantages over other AHAs.
Overall, glycolic acid helps with:
Fun fact: Glycolic acid boosts skin hydration by helping it produce molecules that increase hyaluronic acid naturally.
To work best, glycolic acid products should have a pH between 3-4 (thatâs where exfoliation is most effective but still gentle on skin).
The pH and concentration of a product are key to its effectiveness:
It is normal to feel a slight stinging sensation when using glycolic acid. This usually fades as your skin adjusts.
Because glycolic acid has the smallest molecular size in the AHA family, it can penetrate deeper, which enhances its effectiveness but also makes it more likely to irritate sensitive skin.
If your skin is very sensitive or prone to rosacea, glycolic acid may be too strong; in that case, try milder options like lactic acid or a PHA instead.
Recent studies suggest glycolic acid might even help protect against UV damage. But donât skip sunscreen! Freshly exfoliated skin is more sensitive to the sun.
Glycolic acid is a skincare superstar. It smooths, brightens, hydrates, and firms the skin. Unless youâre highly sensitive, itâs well worth adding to your routine.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Glycolic AcidSodium 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 HydroxideWater. 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
