What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethyl Citrate
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingRetinol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Biosaccharide Gum-2
Skin ConditioningPanax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingBetaine
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Cholesterol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin Conditioning
Brassica Campestris Sterols
EmollientPhytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningRetinal
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Aluminum/Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Arctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Cnidium Officinale Root Extract
Skin ConditioningDioscorea Japonica Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract
Skin ProtectingRehmannia Chinensis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Sh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Oligopeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sorbitan Stearate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Betaine, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Adenosine, Disodium EDTA, Cholesterol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Retinal, Silica, Aluminum/Magnesium Hydroxide Stearate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Rehmannia Chinensis Root Extract, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Bakuchiol, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
