What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDi-C12-13 Alkyl Malate
EmollientDicaprylyl Ether
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantSqualane
EmollientAscorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
AntioxidantGlycolic Acid
BufferingSteareth-2
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingLactic Acid
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingMaltodextrin
Absorbent1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingSucrose Dilaurate
EmollientJojoba Esters
EmollientAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Behenate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
SurfactantHelianthus Annuus Seed Cera
EmollientBenzoic Acid
MaskingNiacinamide
SmoothingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantPisum Sativum Extract
Skin ConditioningAcacia Decurrens Flower Cera
EmollientPolyglycerin-3
HumectantTocopherol
AntioxidantWater, Di-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glycerin, Squalane, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Glycolic Acid, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Maltodextrin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sucrose Dilaurate, Jojoba Esters, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Behenate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Cera, Benzoic Acid, Niacinamide, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pisum Sativum Extract, Acacia Decurrens Flower Cera, Polyglycerin-3, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningDi-C12-13 Alkyl Malate
EmollientPropanediol
SolventPropylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantSalicylic Acid
MaskingSodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingArachidyl Alcohol
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientCoco-Glucoside
CleansingArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingChondrus Crispus Extract
Skin ConditioningMannitol
HumectantPropyl Gallate
AntioxidantXylitol
HumectantRhamnose
HumectantSodium Metabisulfite
AntioxidantTocopherol
AntioxidantParfum
MaskingWater, Di-C12-13 Alkyl Malate, Propanediol, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Arachidyl Glucoside, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Mannitol, Propyl Gallate, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tocopherol, 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.
We don't have a description for Di-C12-13 Alkyl Malate yet.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideThis is a lab-made ingredient that plays a huge role in improving the texture of a formula.
It's used to thicken watery gel-creams, prevent water + oil from separating, and give products a silky, non-greasy glide.
Safety-wise, a panel of independent toxicologists reviewed this ingredient and concluded it to be safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration.
A separate sensitization patch test on humans also showed no evidence of allergic reactivity, and a true allergy to this ingredient is considered rare.
Typical usage levels range from 0.015%-3% in leave-on products and 0.078%-3.2% in rinse-off products.
Learn more about Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl TaurateTocopherol 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