What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether
EmulsifyingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
BHT
Antioxidant
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
Humectant
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCoenochloris Signiensis Extract
Skin ConditioningLecithin
Emollient
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, PPG-1-PEG-9 Lauryl Glycol Ether, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Alcohol, Carnosine, Parfum, Maltodextrin, BHT, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, CI 14700, CI 19140, Coenochloris Signiensis Extract, Lecithin, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Ascorbic Acid, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
