What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Erythritol
Humectant
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ecklonia Cava Extract
Skin ConditioningCodium Tomentosum Extract
Skin ProtectingGelidium Cartilagineum Extract
Skin ProtectingHizikia Fusiforme Extract
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Methylpropanediol
SolventFerulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Isopropyl Myristate, Betaine, Erythritol, Adenosine, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Panthenol, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ecklonia Cava Extract, Codium Tomentosum Extract, Gelidium Cartilagineum Extract, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract, Octyldodecanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Disodium EDTA, Methylpropanediol, Ferulic Acid, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Water
Skin Conditioning3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
3-Glyceryl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Acetyl Zingerone
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, 3-Glyceryl Ascorbate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Acetyl Zingerone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexylresorcinol, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Allantoin, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cellulose Gum, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
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 moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinTocopherol 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
