What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSodium Olivate
CleansingSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract
Masking
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Citrus Sinensis Valencia Peel Oil Expressed
Perfuming
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract
Astringent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sodium Olivate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Phospholipids, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Citrus Sinensis Valencia Peel Oil Expressed, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Squalane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingPolyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Amorphophallus Konjac Root
HumectantRetinol
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose Acetate Butyrate
Tricaprylin
Perfuming
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Roseum Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Sprout
HumectantOcimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract
TonicPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Pantothenic Acid
Skin ConditioningAscorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Melia Azadirachta Leaf
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Bakuchiol, Lauryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Amorphophallus Konjac Root, Retinol, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Tricaprylin, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Water, Pelargonium Roseum Leaf Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Sprout, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Phospholipids, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ascorbyl Palmitate is a fat-soluble form of vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) made by combining it with palmitic acid.
It is able to blend easily into creams and oil-based formulas because it dissolves in oils rather than water.
As you may know, regular vitamin C is notorious for breaking down when exposed to sunlight and air. Ascorbyl Palmitate is more stable and degrades at a slower rate.
Research on whether it converts efficiently into active vitamin C once it's applied on your skin is still limited.
Some in-vitro studies suggest it may support collagen production, but it is not considered one of the stronger vitamin C derivatives, like:
Due to the palmitic acid base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Comedogenic studies have also shown this ingredient to have a rating of 2.
It's also worth keeping in mind that comedogenic and irritancy ratings are tested on individual ingredients, not finished formulas. The final product's formulation, concentration, and other ingredients all play a role in how something actually behaves on your skin.
Learn more about Ascorbyl PalmitateCurcuma Longa Root Extract is from the spice, turmeric. Besides being a healthy and delicious spice, turmeric also has plenty of skincare benefits. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial properties.
Turmeric contains curcumin, an antioxidant. Antioxidants help neutralize unstable free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules may damage your skin's cells and DNA. Curcumin may help with anti-aging.
Curcumin also has anti-inflammatory properties and can help soothe skin and reduce irritation. On top of that, curcumin has been shown to help prevent hyperpigmentation from sun damage.
The anti-microbial property of turmeric can make it effective in treating acne. This property has also been shown to help regulate the production of sebum.
Learn more about Curcuma Longa Root ExtractGlycerin (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 Honeysuckle flower extract comes from the Italian honeysuckle. It is an antioxidant, antimicrobial, and fragrance.
Both this and the Japanese Honeysuckle are rich in a natural paraben that give it antimicrobial property. They are effective in inhibiting bacteria, yeast, and mold.
Honeysuckle contains flavonoids and saponins. Both of these components are natural antioxidants that can help soothe the skin.
As most flowers do, honeysuckle has a natural fragrance.
Learn more about Lonicera Caprifolium Flower ExtractLonicera Japonica Flower Extract comes from the honeysuckle flower.
Honeysuckles have skin protecting, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains many antioxidants, such as luteolin, caffeic acid, loniflavone, and chlorogenic acids.
This honeysuckle is native to East Asia and used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat fever and inflammation.
Learn more about Lonicera Japonica Flower ExtractPhospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.
In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).
Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.
They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.
Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe since phospholipids contain fatty acid chains in the C11-24 range that the malassezia yeast likes to feed on.
Some types of phospholipids include:
Learn more about PhospholipidsSodium 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
