This brightening serum is formulated around Acetyl Glucosamine and Alpha-Arbutin to fade the look of dark spots and brighten dull-looking skin.
This hydrating serum is formulated around Sodium Hyaluronate and Panthenol to hydrate skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Butylene Glycol, Acetyl Glucosamine, Alpha-Arbutin, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Betaine, Beta-Glucan, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glucose, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventDipropylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Diethoxyethyl Succinate
SolventButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingXylitol
Humectant
Sparassis Crispa Extract
Emulsion StabilisingThamnolia Vermicularis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAnhydroxylitol
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Phytate
ChelatingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Methylpropanediol, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Diethoxyethyl Succinate, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Xylitylglucoside, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Xylitol, Sparassis Crispa Extract, Thamnolia Vermicularis Leaf Extract, Anhydroxylitol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, Tromethamine, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol, Carbomer, 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.
This ingredient is created from dehydrating xylitol in acidic conditions. Xylitol is a famous sugar and humectant.
Much like its predecessor, anhydroxylitol is a humectant. Humectants attract and hold water to moisturize the skin.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol (24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
This ingredient is often derived from plants such as wood and sugarcane.
Learn more about AnhydroxylitolButylene 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 ExtractEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene 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 GlycolSodium 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 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 GumXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about XylitolXylitylglucoside is created from xylitol and glucose, two humectants.
Not surprisingly, this ingredient is also a humectant. It attracts and holds water in your skin, helping to maintain hydration.
This ingredient is most commonly found in a popular trio called Aquaxyl. Aquaxyl is made up of anhydroxylitol(24 - 34%), xylitylglucoside (35 - 50%), and xylitol (5 - 15%).
According to a manufacturer, Aquaxyl is known for a 3-D hydration concept and an anti-dehydration shield to reinforce the outer layer of skin.
Learn more about Xylitylglucoside
