What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Kojic Acid
Antioxidant
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Crocus Sativus Flower Extract
Masking3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
4-Butylresorcinol
Antioxidant
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventEthoxydiglycol
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Kojic Acid, Alpha-Arbutin, Sodium Levulinate, Potassium Sorbate, Crocus Sativus Flower Extract, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Betaine, Allantoin, 4-Butylresorcinol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ethoxydiglycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid
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 AcidAllantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizingg properties. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.
Studies show higher concentrations of this ingredient can promote wound healing.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Learn more about AllantoinCitric 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 AcidDisodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
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.
Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.
Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.
Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.
These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
