What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Cocoate
Emulsifying
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingWater
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Parfum
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialCitric Acid
Buffering
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Persea Gratissima Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-3 Cocoate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Water, Xanthan Gum, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Parfum, Arginine, Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate, Tocopherol, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Decyl Cocoate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine
Emulsifying
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Squalane, Decyl Cocoate, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Asiaticoside, Pentylene Glycol, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Xanthan Gum
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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol 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 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
