This brightening serum is formulated around Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate and Carnosine to brighten dull-looking skin and strengthen the skin barrier.
This brightening overnight mask is formulated around Azelaic Acid and Salicylic Acid to fade the look of dark spots and refine skin texture.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Diisooctyl Succinate
Emollient
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Diisooctyl Succinate, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Carnosine, Ceramide NP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide Ng, Ceramide As, Phytosterols, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningAzelaic Acid 10%
Buffering
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSalicylic Acid 1%
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil
Emollient
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Emollient
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Diglucosyl Gallic Acid
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Phloretin
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Antioxidant
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Glutathione
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Tocotrienols
Skin Conditioning
Thioctic Acid
Antioxidant
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Ergothioneine
Antioxidant
Cholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Eos
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Amylopectin
Ellagic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate
Humectant
Caprooyl Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Sphingosine
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Acetyl Glucosamine
Skin Conditioning
Punica Granatum Extract
AstringentDextrin
AbsorbentSebacic Acid
BufferingOryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ceteareth-25
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Polydextrose
HumectantCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Azelaic Acid 10%, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Salicylic Acid 1%, Glycerin, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Niacinamide, Phloretin, Allantoin, Ferulic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Behenic Acid, Glutathione, Linoleic Acid, Tocotrienols, Thioctic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Ergothioneine, Cholesterol, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Eos, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Amylopectin, Ellagic Acid, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Squalane, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Punica Granatum Extract, Dextrin, Sebacic Acid, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Tocopherol, Ceteareth-25, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polydextrose, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Polysorbate 60, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCeramide AP is is a skin-identical lipid that mimics what your skin already makes naturally. Ceramides help maintain epidermal integrity and barrier function.
You'll often see this ingredient paired with other ceramides (like ceramide NP), cholesterol, or fatty acids because this combination best mimics the natural lipid mix your skin already has.
The skin's ability to produce ceramides gets disrupted in skin conditions like eczema. This in turn weakens the skin barrier and applying ceramides topically has been shown to replenish what's been lost to restore barrier function.
Most of the studies with Ceramide AP test it as part of a multi-ceramide complex; studies reinforce ceramide AP's role in rebalancing ceramides in skin and improving skin hydration.
Learn more about Ceramide APCeramide EOP is formally known as Ceramide 1.
It is naturally found in skin and part of the intercellular "mortar" holding everything together in your outermost layer.
EOP stands for a linked Ester fatty acid, a linked Omega hydroxy fatty acid, and the Phytosphingosine base.
What makes Ceramide EOP special is its ultra-long fatty acid chain; this unique structure allows it to bridge the lipid layers in your skin barrier to prevent water loss (something no other ceramide can do).
Low levels of Ceramide EOP have been found in people with eczema and psoriasis.
Using it together with other ceramides, cholesterol, and linoleic acid have been shown to meaningfully improve hydration and reduce water loss.
In one clinical study, a regimen using Ceramide EOP, NP, and AP led to significant symptom improvements in patients with eczema, psoriasis, and dry skin in just 4 weeks.
You'll usually see concentrations between 0.1-0.5% in formulations. Overall, this is a well-tolerated and safe ingredient for cosmetic use.
Learn more about Ceramide EOPCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene 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
