What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycol Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
CleansingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Butyrospermum Parkii Seedcake Extract
Skin Protecting
Arnica Montana Flower Extract
Masking
Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract
Skin Conditioning
Fructose
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Urea
Buffering
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
Inositol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycol Stearate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Citric Acid, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Parfum, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Tetrasodium EDTA, Butyrospermum Parkii Seedcake Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Fructose, Glycine, Niacinamide, Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Inositol, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Acrylates Copolymer
Cocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Cinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil
Masking
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil
Astringent
Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Plumeria Alba Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMagnolia Acuminata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningIris Pallida Root Extract
Masking
Rosa Damascena Extract
MaskingLinalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Laureth-2
CleansingDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids
CleansingSodium Sulfate
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Cocoate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
EDTA
Disodium EDTA
Trisodium Hedta
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Glycol Distearate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamide Mea, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Bark Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Plumeria Alba Flower Extract, Magnolia Acuminata Flower Extract, Iris Pallida Root Extract, Rosa Damascena Extract, Linalool, Limonene, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polysorbate 20, Laureth-2, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids, Sodium Sulfate, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Citric Acid, EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Trisodium Hedta, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Sorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
