What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBetula Pendula Sap
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningArthrospira Platensis Extract
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCeteth-20 Phosphate
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dicetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Levulinic Acid
Perfuming
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Betula Pendula Sap, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Squalane, Aesculus Hippocastanum Seed Extract, Arthrospira Platensis Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Ceteth-20 Phosphate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dicetyl Phosphate, Tocopherol, Levulinic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Levulinate, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Citric Acid
Onsen-Sui
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Rosa Centifolia Flower Water
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Superoxide Dismutase
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Rice Extract
Skin Conditioning
Malic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
HumectantCitrus Junos Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Mume Fruit Extract
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Serine
Masking
Threonine
Arginine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningGlutamic Acid
Humectant
Glycosyl Trehalose
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Lees Extract
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Silk
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Disodium Succinate
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Onsen-Sui, Glycerin, Water, Butylene Glycol, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Pentylene Glycol, Ceramide AP, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Superoxide Dismutase, Hydrolyzed Rice Extract, Malic Acid, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Citrus Junos Fruit Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Sodium PCA, Betaine, Sorbitol, Glycine, Alanine, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Arginine, Lysine, Glutamic Acid, Glycosyl Trehalose, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Oryza Sativa Lees Extract, Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Disodium Succinate, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol 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
