What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Amp-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Trehalose
Humectant
Sodium Polyaspartate
HumectantDendrobium Nobile Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Echinacea Purpurea Extract
MoisturisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Antioxidant
Ectoin
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Cistus Monspeliensis Extract
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
Fucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Medicago Sativa Extract
TonicSodium Citrate
BufferingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isononyl Isononanoate, Dicaprylyl Ether, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Amp-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Trehalose, Sodium Polyaspartate, Dendrobium Nobile Stem Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Citric Acid, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Panthenol, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Ectoin, Maltodextrin, Saccharide Isomerate, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Cistus Monspeliensis Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Sodium Citrate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneWater. 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
