This hydrating toner is formulated around Ceramide NP and Panthenol to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
This brightening toner is formulated around Niacinamide and Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract to brighten dull-looking skin and fade the look of dark spots.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycine Max Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Diphenyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dextrin
AbsorbentDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
ChelatingTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Glycine Max Seed Extract, Ceramide NP, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipropylene Glycol, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Diphenyl Dimethicone, Triethylhexanoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Tromethamine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dextrin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Diphenyl Dimethicone
Emollient
Choleth-24
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDipotassium EDTA
ChelatingWater, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Diphenyl Dimethicone, Choleth-24, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dipotassium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolThis ingredient comes from the red seaweed that grows along the North Atlantic. It's the same alga that gives us carrageenan, the thickener in your oat milk.
The extract is mostly big sulfated sugar molecules (polysaccharides) plus some minerals and protein.
What those sugars do is simple and useful: they hold onto water and form a light film on the skin. That means they boost hydration, add a bit of slip, and leave a soft, cushiony feel.
It also helps with texture and thickness.
You'll see claims about anti-aging and "second skin" effects but those come mostly from supplier marketing.
The real research is cell-culture stuff and there's no human trial on this ingredient specifically (yet). So for now, treat it as a nice hydrator and texture helper, not an active.
Safety-wise, it's pretty solid. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel rated it safe as used, human sensitization tests came back negative, and it wasn't irritating in skin or eye tests.
Typical use levels are 0.5% or lower.
You'll see algae listed as a 5/5 on a lot of pore-clogging charts and that number doesn't come from anywhere; it's not in the original rabbit-ear studies that most comedogenic ratings trace back to.
The reasoning behind the reputation is that seaweed is high in iodine and iodine can trigger acne-like breakouts when eaten. This traces back to a 1976 letter in Archives of Dermatology describing two women whose breakouts cleared after they stopped taking high-dose kelp supplements orally.
And the reaction of these two women wasn't clogged pores at all: it was an iodine-triggered pustular rash. Later research found normal dietary iodine doesn't meaningfully affect acne either and nobody has shown topical algae delivers enough iodine to matter.
What we do have is dozens of brown and red algae ingredients found to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and a handful of studies that found algae compounds may actually help acne.
However, plenty of people do report breaking out from algae-containing products. Skin is individual and it's worth avoiding if yours has reacted to algae before.
Learn more about Chondrus Crispus ExtractDiphenyl Dimethicone is a type of silicone.
Dipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPentylene 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 GlycolPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolThis ingredient is also called sugarcane extract. It is a moisturizing humectant and has skin soothing properties.
Similar to hyaluronic acid, sugarcane can attract moisture to your skin.
Glycolic acid is a derivative of sugarcane. While glycolic acid is an AHA with exfoliating properties, sugarcane is not an AHA.
A study from 2021 found the compounds in sugarcane extract to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity. The study also suggests these compounds can inhibit skin ageing enzymes and promote collagen synthesis.
Learn more about Saccharum Officinarum ExtractSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
