What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carrageenan
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Laureth-23, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Carnosine, Neohesperidin Dihydrochalcone, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Carrageenan, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Ethoxydiglycol
HumectantPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
PPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Acetyl Octapeptide-3
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triethanolamine
BufferingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Ascorbic Acid, Ethoxydiglycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Ferulic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NP, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Panthenol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ascorbic Acid is is pure Vitamin C and is the biologically active form used directly by skin.
Not only is vitamin C great for your overall health and immune system, but it also has plenty of benefits for your skin. It is best supported by academic literature for:
Topical vitamin C has been shown to help neutralize oxidative stress from UV and pollution, helping to improve photoaging and hyperpigmentation when used consistently.
One clinical study found that using 5% topical vitamin C for six months improved signs of photodamaged skin, both on the surface and in the deeper structural layers of the skin.
While vitamin C doesn’t replace sunscreen, studies show it can boost photoprotection when combined with Vitamin E and ferulic acid. These two ingredients help improve stability and protective effects.
The big downside of this ingredient is formulation difficulty. Vitamin C is prone to oxidation and doesn't penetrate the skin unless formulated correctly. Research found that vitamin C absorbs into the skin best at a low pH (< 3.5) with about 20% being the upper limit for effective absorption.
Skin levels can saturate after repeated application; this means your skin won’t keep absorbing more once it’s full of vitamin C. This is why more isn’t always better with vitamin C and why very high concentrations don’t necessarily give extra benefits.
Ascorbic acid generally works well with many skincare ingredients but can be irritating when combined with other active ingredients. Strong oxidizing acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide can reduce the effectiveness of vitamin C if they are used at the same time; they are often recommended for use at different times of day.
Read more about other types of Vitamin C:
Foods rich with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli, bell peppers, and more. When consuming Vitamin C, your skin receives a portion of the nutrients.
Learn more about Ascorbic 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
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 HyaluronateTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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
