What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventHexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Acetyl Glucosamine, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Hexylresorcinol, Glycerin, Betaine, Ethoxydiglycol, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ferulic Acid, Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolDimethyl Isosorbide (often shortened to DMI) is a sugar-derived solvent made from sorbitol. It's used to dissolve tricky ingredients and help them mix smoothly into a formula.
Many actives sit as gritty crystals when undissolved, so DMI swoops in to full dissolve them. This helps improve texture, stability, and how evenly an active is distributed.
It does have a penetration-enhancing reputation that is a bit more nuanced than marketing suggests; a cell study on human skin found that 10% DMI didn't significantly boost the permeation of Hydroquinone, Salicylic Acid, or Octadecenedioic Acid compared to controls (though it did improve their solubility in the formula itself).
Typical usage concentrations usually range from 1-10% depending on the formula's needs; this ingredient is also well tolerated at these levels.
Learn more about Dimethyl IsosorbideFerulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant that can be naturally found in the cell walls of grains like rice, oats, and corn. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and has the ability to boost the performance of other antioxidants as well.
A well-known study found that adding Ferulic Acid to a solution of Vitamins C and E doubled the photoprotection of skin. This is why you'll often see it paired with Vitamin C or Vitamin E serums rather than sold on its own.
A 2025 review of 18 human studies found that using Ferulic Acid (0.5-1%) daily for one to three months showed improvements in:
As far as allergies go, Ferulic acid is generally well-tolerated but can cause an allergic reaction in very rare cases. It's also worth noting that Ferulic acid is often extracted from plant sources like rice bran or wheat bran, so be sure to path test if you have known grain allergies.
Outside of skincare, researchers are also looking into Ferulic Acid for its potential benefits in areas like diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart health.
Learn more about Ferulic AcidWater. 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
