This acne serum is formulated around Niacinamide and Zinc Gluconate to clear breakouts and refine the look of pores.
This calming serum is formulated around Hyaluronic Acid and Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water to calm redness and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingSalix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingZinc Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantSalicylic Acid
MaskingAesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide AP
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingYeast Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Ammonium Glycyrrhizate
MaskingBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
HumectantCaffeine
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Zinc Gluconate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Salicylic Acid, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Ceramide AP, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Yeast Extract, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Biotin, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Caffeine
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil Ethyl Esters
EmollientHyaluronic Acid
HumectantAnthemis Nobilis Flower Water
MaskingCucumis Sativus Fruit Water
Skin ConditioningCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Gallica Flower Extract
AstringentAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningLens Esculenta Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriheptanoin
Skin ConditioningC13-15 Alkane
SolventSodium Phytate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantMethylglucamine
Pentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Lactate
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingSodium PCA
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil Ethyl Esters, Hyaluronic Acid, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Water, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Water, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Rosa Gallica Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lens Esculenta Fruit Extract, Caffeine, Propanediol, Carbomer, Triheptanoin, C13-15 Alkane, Sodium Phytate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyacetophenone, Methylglucamine, Pentylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Lactate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium PCA, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCaffeine is a naturally occurring plant compound found in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa pods, and guarana.
As an antioxidant, caffeine protects your skin from free radical damage caused by UV exposure and envionrmnetal stressors.
Early research also shows that caffeine can help calm redness, soothe irritated skin, and support hair growth by stimulating microcirculation in the scalp.
You might have seen eye creams marketing caffeine as a depuffing ingredient. This is because it is a vasoconstrictor meaning it can temporarily constrict blood vessels, though clinical evidence for this specific use is still limited.
Most skincare products contain this ingredient at concentrations between 1-6%. It is able to penetrate skin easily regardless of skin type or thickness.
Just so you know, a very small number of case reports describe caffeine-induced allergy. This ingredient is generally well-tolerated, non-irritating, and non-sensitizing for the majority of people.
Learn more about CaffeineGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer is made up of glycerin and polyacrylic acid. It helps hydrate your skin as a humectant.
This ingredient forms a hydrogel that delivers moisturizing, water-based ingredients to the skin. It is also used to thicken a product and to give it a smooth texture.
Acrylic acid itself is toxic, but the polymer form (this ingredient) is too large to penetrate skin, making it non-toxic.
Learn more about Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid CopolymerPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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