What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTromethamine
BufferingCarnitine
Cleansing
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Serine
Masking
Arginine
Masking
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Water, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Tromethamine, Carnitine, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Citric Acid, Serine, Arginine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Gluconolactone, Beta-Glucan
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Tromethamine
Buffering1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Squalane
Emollient
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
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.Â
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 preservativesÂ
Beta-Glucan is a polysaccharide. It can be derived from the cell walls of seaweed, oats, yeast, and fungi. It hydrates the skin and helps boost your skin's natural barrier.
As an antioxidant, beta-glucan helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Studies show this ingredient may be an effective wrinkle reducer as it can deeply penetrate into skin. It has also been show to help with wound healing.
Learn more about Beta-GlucanGluconolactone is a PHA. PHAs are a great gentle alternative to traditional AHAs.
When applied, Gluconolactone has the same affect on skin as AHAs such as lactic acid. It helps dissolve the dead skin cells in the top layer of your skin. This improves texture and brightens the skin.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. They do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
Gluconolactone has some interesting properties:
In a 2004 study, Gluconolactone was found to prevent UV damage in mouse skin cells and has not been found to increase sun sensitivity. However, we still recommend wearing SPF daily.
This ingredient is is an created by reacting gluconic acid with an alcohol.
Learn more about GluconolactoneGlycerin (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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolTromethamine helps balance the pH and improve the texture of a product. It is synthetically created.
As an emulsifier, Tromethamine prevents oil and water ingredients from separating. This helps stabilize the product and elongate a product's shelf life. Tromethamine also makes a product thicker.
Tromethamine helps balance the pH level of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. 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.
Oral Tromethanmine is an anti-inflammatory drug but plays the role of masking, adding fragrance, and/or balancing pH in skincare.
1,3-Propanediol, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-
Learn more about TromethamineWater. 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
