What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Amara Flower Water
MaskingSodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
CleansingLactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
HumectantDicaprylyl Ether
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientGluconolactone
Skin ConditioningGlycosphingolipids
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
MaskingLecithin
EmollientSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPropanediol
SolventPullulan
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialCurcuma Longa Root Extract
MaskingWater, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Water, Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, Decyl Glucoside, Lactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Ferment Filtrate, Sodium PCA, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glycerin, Glyceryl Oleate, Gluconolactone, Glycosphingolipids, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Propanediol, Pullulan, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Benzoate
MaskingGluconolactone
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Extract
AbsorbentSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
BleachingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialBoswellia Carterii Oil
MaskingCitrus Junos Peel Oil
AstringentCitrus Nobilis Peel Oil
MaskingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantSodium Phytate
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingWater, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Coco-Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Gluconolactone, Oryza Sativa Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Boswellia Carterii Oil, Citrus Junos Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sodium Phytate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Gluconolactone 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Oleate is the monoester of glycerin and oleic acid. It is a skin-conditioning emollient that also helps form emulsions.
What makes glyceryl oleate special is its "re-fatting" effect.
When you wash your hair and skin with a surfactant-based cleanser, the surfactants grab onto everything. This includes your skin's natural lipids, or the fats that live in your skin barrier and sebum. Once you rinse these surfactants away, it leaves your skin feeling tight, dry, and clean (in a not-good way).
Re-fatting is essentially putting some of these lipids back. Glyceryl oleate deposits a thin layer of emollient lipids back on the skin or hair surface reduce some of the barrier damage.
Also, glyceryl oleate isn't a foreign molecule to your skin. It's chemically identical to something your skin already produces and manages naturally. This is why it tends to be well-tolerated with low risk of irritation.
Typical use levels range from 0.5-5%.
Glyceryl Oleate has a function of "perfuming" in the CosIng database. This just means that the ingredient has some scent character that can contribute to the product's overall smell.
The scent of this ingredient is described as "waxy".
As an ester of oleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. This is because oleic acid falls into the carbon-chain length that Malassezia can use as a substrate.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateWater. 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