This acne serum is formulated around Glycolic Acid and Betaine Salicylate to clear breakouts and refine skin texture.
This barrier-repair serum is formulated around Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract and Niacinamide to strengthen the skin barrier and calm redness.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
BufferingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingLactic Acid
BufferingBetaine Salicylate
AntimicrobialPEG-8 Dimethicone
EmulsifyingArginine
MaskingTremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion StabilisingGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
BleachingSpiraea Ulmaria Extract
AstringentAllantoin
Skin ConditioningZinc PCA
HumectantDehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventSodium Lactate
BufferingGlycereth-26
HumectantGalactoarabinan
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSymphytum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantDehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAlpha-Arbutin
AntioxidantCitrus Junos Seed Extract
AntioxidantNiacinamide
SmoothingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSodium PCA
HumectantArginine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingPCA
HumectantGlycine
BufferingAlanine
MaskingSerine
MaskingValine
MaskingProline
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantPhenylalanine
MaskingWater, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Sodium Lactate, Glycereth-26, Galactoarabinan, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Alpha-Arbutin, Citrus Junos Seed Extract, Niacinamide, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineWe don't have a description for Dehydroxanthan Gum yet.
Pentylene 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 GlycolWater. 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