What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
BufferingGlycerin
HumectantPropanediol
SolventC12-13 Pareth-9
EmulsifyingNiacinamide
SmoothingRosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingInulin
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPanax Ginseng Root Extract
EmollientTasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract
AntioxidantSodium PCA
HumectantSodium Lactate
BufferingFructose
HumectantArginine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingHamamelis Virginiana Extract
AntiseborrhoeicPCA
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningGlycine
BufferingAlanine
MaskingSerine
MaskingValine
MaskingProline
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantPhenylalanine
MaskingAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantWater, Glycolic Acid, Glycerin, Propanediol, C12-13 Pareth-9, Niacinamide, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Phenethyl Alcohol, Inulin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit/Leaf Extract, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Fructose, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, PCA, Pentylene Glycol, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Ascorbyl Palmitate
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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 GlycerinWater. 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