What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningWithania Somnifera Extract
Skin ConditioningTremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide
Emulsion StabilisingLactobacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningGanoderma Lucidum Extract
Skin ProtectingSaccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
HumectantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningNymphaea Caerulea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Pea Protein
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantZingiber Zerumbet Extract
Skin ConditioningAlgin
MaskingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientWater, Glycerin, Beta-Glucan, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Caffeine, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Withania Somnifera Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide, Lactobacillus Ferment, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Saccharomyces/Rice Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Nymphaea Caerulea Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Sodium Hyaluronate, Zingiber Zerumbet Extract, Algin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialPhaseolus Angularis Seed Extract
AntioxidantAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
HumectantPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningTrifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-50
Skin ConditioningCaprooyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin ProtectingHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningLeontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningFragaria Ananassa Seed Oil
AntioxidantAcetic Acid
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBiosaccharide Gum-1
HumectantAlgin
MaskingDextran
Potassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSaccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment
Skin ConditioningVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCucumis Sativus Extract
Skin ConditioningPassiflora Incarnata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPaeonia Albiflora Root Extract
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Extract
AbsorbentSaccharomyces Lysate
Skin ConditioningMalpighia Glabra Fruit
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningEctoin
Skin ConditioningCamellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningParfum
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Beta-Glucan, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Phaseolus Angularis Seed Extract, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-50, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sorbitan Oleate Decylglucoside Crosspolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract, Fragaria Ananassa Seed Oil, Acetic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Algin, Dextran, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Cucumis Sativus Extract, Passiflora Incarnata Flower Extract, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract, Oryza Sativa Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate, Malpighia Glabra Fruit, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ectoin, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Algin is brown algae. Algae is an informal term for a group of aquatic organisms that can photosynthesize. It is estimated there are at least 30,000 types of Algae.
Algae contains antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceBeta-Glucan is a soluble polysaccharide (a chain of glucose sugars) sourced from the cells walls of oats, baker's yeast, mushrooms, and seaweed.
It's a rare ingredient that pulls double-duty as a heavy-duty hydrator and skin-soothing repair agent.
On the surface, it acts as a humectant that holds water in place and reduces moisture loss for a plumper, smoother feel, while its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties make it a great pick for calming redness or sensitive skin
The more interesting story is underneath:
Despite its large molecular size, oat beta-glucan has been shown to penetrate the epidermis and reach the dermis by slipping between skin cells. Here, it interacts with fibroblasts and macrophages to nudge collagen synthesis and support wound repair.
A small 2005 split-face clinical study of 27 subjects found topical beta-glucan produced measurable reductions in wrinkle depth, height, and roughness after 8 weeks of use.
It is worth noting the trial was small and the penetration testing used frozen, irradiated skin so the anti-aging data is encouraging rather than definitive.
This ingredient gets along with pretty much everything and is typically used around 0.1-1%.
Fungal acne: This ingredient is not a food source for the Malassezia yeast because it is a glucose polysaccharide with no fatty acid or ester component.
Learn more about Beta-GlucanBiosaccharide Gum-1 is a sugar created by fermenting sorbitol (which usually comes from potato starch!). It is known for its soothing and moisturizing properties.
Manufacturer tests show this ingredient helped reduce irritation from lactic acid by almost half and kept skin hydrated long-term as a humectant
Beyond hydration, Biosaccharide Gum-1 gives formulas a silky, non-sticky feel.
This ingredient is gentle, versatile, and suitable for all skin types.
Fun fact: Similar sugars can be found naturally in fruits like apples and pears.
Learn more about Biosaccharide Gum-1Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters (HJE) are an emollient and skin-conditioning agent made by breaking down jojoba oil into a blend of fatty acids and fatty alcohols.
Jojoba is pretty cool because it's a liquid wax ester rather than a triglyceride like most plant oils. Its structure closely resembles the wax esters in human sebum so it slots nicely into the skin's own lipid layer.
In cosmetics, HJE works mainly to soften skin, reinforce the barrier, and lock in moisture by reducing water loss. This ingredient also holds onto the skin even after rinsing which is why you'll see it in cleansers or wipes.
There's a decent clinical backing for the moisturizing claims: a small controlled study found that pairing HJE with glycerin lowered transepidermal water loss significantly than glycerin alone (and this effect lasted up to 24 hours).
Follow-up work showed HJE appear to "trap" glycerin in the film they form on skin to boost its hydrating power.
Typical use levels are low: the glycering-synergy research used around 1.25% (a common pairing is roughly 1.25% HJE and 3.75% glycerin).
This ingredient has been found safe as used in cosmetics with low irritation risk.
As for fungal acne, the fatty acids and alcohols in jojoba fall in roughly the C18-24 range. This overlaps the C11-24 window that Malassezia yeast can feed on in lab studies, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Jojoba EstersHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcellulosePalmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a synthetic signal lipopeptide. This just means it is a three amino acid chain bolted onto a palmitic acid tail so it can slip through the skin's lipid barrier.
This peptide has a "build more, lose less" approach.
It's designed to mimic the collagen-stimulating activity in your skin by copying a snippet of one of your skin's own matrix proteins. This nudges fibroblasts into making more collagen while inhibiting the enzyme that breaks down skin protein.
The manufacturer's in vivo study of 45 volunteers found 1% and 2.5% reduced the appearance of wrinkles by 7% and 12% respectively, after using it twice daily for 84 days.
This is in the expected range for peptides; they're slow and cumulative actives and not overnight fixers.
Typical use levels range from 1-3% and this ingredient gets along with pretty much everything.
On the fungal acne front:
Although palmitic acid sits in the chain length that Malassezia can feed on, this ingredient has it locked in an amine bond. This makes it hard for Malassezia to access as a source of food, and therefore fungal acne safe.
This combination of bacteria + black tea + fermentation = kombucha.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps boost radiance, smoothness, and thickens skin.
You can read about the skin benefits of the individual parts here:
Saccharomyces
Black tea
Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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