What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningZingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Amorphophallus Konjac Root Extract
HumectantCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCarrageenan
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Saccharide Isomerate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Amorphophallus Konjac Root Extract, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Chrysin
Skin ConditioningN-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningCopper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Steareth-20
CleansingMethyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Bis-PEG/PPG-14/14 Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Caffeine, Biotin, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Magnesium Aspartate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Zinc Gluconate, Chrysin, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Copper Gluconate, Steareth-20, Methyl Methacrylate/Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Chances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.
Its main functions are to maintain the pH of a product and neutralize metal ions.
The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome; normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5).
Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Learn more about Sodium CitrateSodium 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
