What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Propanediol
Solvent
Arginine
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Phytate
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingEthyl Linoleate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingGarcinia Mangostana Peel Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Mandelic Acid, Propanediol, Arginine, Glycerin, Isopentyldiol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Squalane, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hexylresorcinol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Phytate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Ethyl Linoleate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Garcinia Mangostana Peel Extract
Reviews
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 GlycerinWater. 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
