What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide
Skin ConditioningSodium Acrylates Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCetearyl Olivate
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tranexamic Acid, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, 1-Methylhydantoin-2-Imide, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Cetearyl Olivate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Lecithin, Squalane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Gluconate, Polysorbate 60, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sorbitan Isostearate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDehydroxanthan Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 40800
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Tranexamic Acid, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Limonene, Linalool, CI 77891, CI 42090, CI 40800
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 CarbomerGlycerin (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.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTranexamic Acid (TXA) is a synthetic lysine derivative that is becoming one of the most exciting brightening ingredients in skincare.
Originally used in medicine as an anti-hemorrhagic agent, its skin brightening potential was discovered by accident; patients taking it orally started noticing their melasma was fading.
Unlike most brighteners that target tyrosinase (the enzyme that synthesizes melanin), TXA works further upstream. It basically blocks your cells from receiving the signal to produce pigment.
This makes it one of the rare actives that works on three pathways at once:
This makes it effective for treating melasma, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), and sun-induced dark spots.
The most effective cosmetic concentration sits between 2-5% and going higher doesn't boost results.
Side effects are generally mild; occasional irritation, flaking, or dryness have been reported at the start of use. Overall, this ingredient is pretty well tolerated, even by sensitive skin types.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it does not cause photosensitivity, so it's safe to use in the AM and PM.
Learn more about Tranexamic 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
