What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Propanediol
Solvent
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Carbonate
SolventHydroxypropylcellulose
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Palmaria Palmata Extract
Skin ProtectingLimonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingChondrus Crispus Powder
Abrasive
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Saccharomyces Ferment, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Bakuchiol, Caffeine, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Lauroyl Lysine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Mica, Tocopherol, CI 77891, CI 77492
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
You might know this ingredient as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a more stable version of ascorbic acid.
Like other types of vitamin C, this ingredient has many benefits including reducing wrinkles, skin soothing, dark spot fading, and fighting against free radicals.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid interferes with the process of skin darkening, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation. It also encourages the skin to produce more collagen.
Once applied, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is converted to Vitamin C deeper in the skin's layers. This process is slow but makes this ingredient more tolerable for skin.
The optimum pH range for this ingredient is 4 - 5.5
Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic AcidBakuchiol is a plant-derived antioxidant from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant. It has antimicrobial, emollient, skin conditioning, and antioxidant properties.
You'll likely see it called a "retinol replacement" but the two are technically not related. This is because bakuchiol is able to flip many of the same switches in your skin cells to tell them to:
1) produce more collagen (type I, III, and IV)
2) activate the same genes retinoids do
Unlike retinoids, this ingredient will not increase photosensitivity and is safe to use during pregnancy (but please still check in with your doctor!).
The flagship clinical trial from Dhaliwal et al. 2019 found 0.5% bakuchiol (twice daily) and 0.5% retinol (once daily) reduced wrinkles and hyperpigmentation equally, but bakuchiol had significantly less irritation.
Systematic reviews also back this up:
Bakuchiol is comparable to retinol for photoaging but with better tolerability. It also has mild antibacterial properties against Cutibacterium acnes and antifungal activity in vitro against Candida and dermatophytes.
The reason bakuchiol works well is due to its structure; it is a meroterpene phenol, or a hybrid molecule. The phenol half acts as an antioxidant while the terpene half is fat-loving. This helps the molecule slip through the skin barrier.
This ingredient is usually used between 0.5-2%. Only one case of contact dermatitis has ever been reported for this ingredient.
Learn more about BakuchiolGlycerin (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.
Water. 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
