What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantOctanediol
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glutathione
Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tyrosine
Skin ConditioningSaxifraga Sarmentosa Extract
Skin ConditioningPaeonia Suffruticosa Seed Oil
Emollient
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid
Antioxidant
Oleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
PEG-60 Almond Glycerides
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Sulfite
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Arbutin, Dipropylene Glycol, Octanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glutathione, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Panthenol, Acetyl Tyrosine, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Seed Oil, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, Oleanolic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydroxyacetophenone, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Sodium Sulfite
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Arbutin
Antioxidant
Vitis Vinifera Vine Extract
Skin ConditioningLecithin
Emollient
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Glutathione
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Pearl Powder
Collagen
Moisturising
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Perlite
Absorbent
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Arbutin is a naturally occurring molecule (found in bearberry, cranberry, and blueberry) that is used in skincare as a gentle brightening agent to fade dark spots, melasma, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
Chemically, it is a sugar-bound form of hydroquinone.
It works mainly by inhibiting tyrosinase, the enzyme your skin uses to make melanin. This means less new pigment gets produced over time.
There are two forms you'll see on labels: beta-arbutin (listed as just "Arbutin") and alpha-arbutin (the more stable and effective of the two).
The evidence behind this is solid: it's less cytotoxic to melanocytes than hydroquinone and comparably effective with kojic acid for hyperpigmentation.
One human study using a 10% solution reduced UVR-induced hyperpigmentation by 43.5% (jumping to 63.3% when paired with aloesin).
More recent clinical work backs it up too; a 2025 study on a 5% alpha-arbutin + 2% kojic acid cream found it comparable to triple combination prescription formulas but with lower recurrence for melasma.
Typical usage in cosmetics serums land in the 1-2% range.
It's a well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-photoreactive ingredient that also gives some antioxidant benefits too.
Learn more about ArbutinGlutathione is an antioxidant naturally found in our bodies. It is made up of three amino acids: glycine, cysteine, and glutamic acid.
As an antioxidant, it prevents oxidative damage to parts of our cell.
While glutathione is said to help with fading dark spots, the results from research are inconclusive. Further studies are needed. With that said, gluthatione has been shown to protect our skin from UV-B induced damage.
This ingredient is naturally occurring in plants, animals, fungi, and some bacteria.
Learn more about GlutathioneGlycerin (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 GlycerinPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
