What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Dipentaerythrityl Tetrahydroxystearate/Tetraisostearate
Skin Conditioning
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Pvp
Emulsion StabilisingPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
PEG-150
HumectantDimethicone
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Dipentaerythrityl Tri-Polyhydroxystearate
Emollient
PEG-60 Glyceryl Isostearate
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Trimethylsiloxysilicate
Emollient
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Milk Ferment
Skin ConditioningSoy Isoflavones
Skin ConditioningGlycine Max Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Tocopheryl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
PPG-4-Ceteth-20
EmulsifyingSodium Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingZea Mays Oil
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Inulin Lauryl Carbamate
Emulsion StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Dipentaerythrityl Tetrahydroxystearate/Tetraisostearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Pvp, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, PEG-150, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Beeswax, Dipentaerythrityl Tri-Polyhydroxystearate, PEG-60 Glyceryl Isostearate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Retinol, Retinyl Palmitate, Milk Ferment, Soy Isoflavones, Glycine Max Seed Extract, Ceramide Ng, Sodium Tocopheryl Phosphate, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-4-Ceteth-20, Sodium Ascorbate, Alcohol Denat., Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Zea Mays Oil, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polysorbate 80, Inulin Lauryl Carbamate, Lecithin, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben
Reviews
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 GlycerinRetinol is a gold-standard ingredient for anti-aging. It is a form of Vitamin A and belongs to the class of retinoids that also includes tretinoin.
Why is retinol famous?
It has the most scientific studies backing up its skin benefits out of all the non-prescription ingredients.
Retinol is proven to:
This is why retinol is effective at removing wrinkles, fading dark spots, treating acne, and reducing the appearance of pores.
Studies show retinol is less effective when exposed to UV. Be sure to look for appropriate packaging to keep your retinol potent (similar to Vitamin C).
Using retinol or any retinoids will increase sun-sensitivity in the first few months. Though studies show retinoids increase your skin's natural SPF with continuous use, it is best to always wear sunscreen and sun-protection.
We recommend speaking with a medical professional about using this ingredient during pregnancy.
Retinol may cause irritation in some people, so be sure to patch test. Experts recommend 'ramping up' retinol use: start using this ingredient once a week and work up to using it daily.
Read about Tretinoin
Learn more about RetinolWater. 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
