What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningBambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Glycerin, Water, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Lauryl Glucoside, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Citrate, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Fruit Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-8
HumectantQuartz Powder
Abrasive
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningPEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Starch
AbsorbentCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Punica Granatum Bark Extract
MaskingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Parfum
Masking
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Rubus Idaeus Leaf Cell Culture
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Fruit Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, PEG-8, Quartz Powder, Sodium Hydroxide, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters, Oryza Sativa Starch, Caprylyl Glycol, Punica Granatum Bark Extract, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Parfum, Hexylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Rubus Idaeus Leaf Cell Culture
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
We don't have a description for Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract yet.
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 GlycerinThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
This one is the fancy name for pomegranate enzyme. It is created by fermenting pomegranate (Punica Granatum) with Lactobacillus bacteria.
The fermentation step breaks down the fruit's bound polyphenols into smaller, more skin-available forms. Most notably, Punicalagin gets converted into Ellagic Acid.
What you end up with is a water-loving ingredient packed with plant antioxidants and a gentle skin-dissolving enzyme that works in two ways:
1) it fights daily damage from things like pollution and UV
2) it lightly loosens dead skin cells on the surface for a smoother, brighter look.
The antioxidant side is the better studied half. Pomegranate's natural compounds help neutralize unstable molecules that damage skin cells and lab studies on skin cells show they can also help calm inflammation.
Exfoliation from this ingredient is soft; it gently loosens dead skin cells on the surface. Even manufacturers admit it's not as strong as AHAs like glycolic acid.
A 2022 human trial on a fermented pomegranate serum reported improvements in moisture, brightness, elasticity, spots, and collagen density after 4-8 weeks.
This ingredient is recommended to be used at 1-3% by suppliers. Since the Lactobacillus is a fermenting organism rather than live culture in a final product, there's no known fungal acne concern.
Just be sure to patch test or avoid if you have known pomegranate allergies.
Learn more about Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment ExtractLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc. The trade name for this ingredient is Leucidal.
Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid.
This ingredient has antimicrobial properties and helps prevent the growth of bacteria in a product.
Leuconostoc is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Learn more about Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment FiltratePolysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateSorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateWater. 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 Gum
