What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Avium Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCapryloyl Glycine
CleansingXylitylglucoside
Humectant
Succinic Acid
BufferingBetaine
Humectant
Lecithin
Emollient
Lysolecithin
EmulsifyingLactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Phytic Acid
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Zinc PCA
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Retinoyl Hyaluronate
Zinc Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate
HumectantAscorbylpropyl Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate
HumectantAscorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Hydroxyphenoxy Propionic Acid
Skin ConditioningSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Oryza Sativa, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Prunus Avium Fruit Extract, Hexylene Glycol, Capryloyl Glycine, Xylitylglucoside, Succinic Acid, Betaine, Lecithin, Lysolecithin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Niacinamide, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Bisabolol, Phytic Acid, Panthenol, Alpha-Arbutin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Glyceryl Glucoside, Zinc PCA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Retinoyl Hyaluronate, Zinc Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate, Ascorbylpropyl Hydrolyzed Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Propyl Hyaluronate, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Propanediol, Glycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Hydroxyphenoxy Propionic Acid, Sodium Gluconate
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 GlycerinHyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan (basically a long sugar chain) that your skin already makes on its own. In your skin, HA lives in the extracellular matrix and acts as the body's moisture reservoir.
Topically, HA is a humectant that binds water and helps skin look more plump, smooth, and hydrated.
The only catch is that HA isn't a single thing; it actually comes in a wide range of molecular weights (~50 - 2,000+ kDA) and size matters.
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
This is why the best HA serums blend the two sizes together so you get the best of both worlds.
The majority of cosmetic HA is produced by bacterial fermentation, typically using Streptococcus or Bacillus strains. Typical use levels in skincare sit around 0.1-2%.
A clinical study using a 0.2% low-molecular weight HA gel showed improvement in facial seborrheic dermatitis with excellent tolerance.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Hyaluronic AcidThis is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.
It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.
Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.
Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.
Learn more about Sodium GluconateWater. 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
