What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningWater, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Coco-Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Citric Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Disodium EDTA, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hyaluronate, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Cocoyl Glutamate
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Aurantium Amara Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Potassium Cocoyl Glutamate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Betaine, Sodium Lactate, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Amara Fruit Extract, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. Itβs known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCitric 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 AcidDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
We don't have a description for Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate yet.
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea (M/PO/AM) is a synthetic pseudoceramide; it's basically a lab-made ingredient designed to mimic the ceramides that your skin naturally produces.
What makes this ingredient special? It is connected to something called multi-lamellar emulsion (MLE) technology.
Your skin's outermost layer (stratum corneum) is often described as a "brick wall" where skin cells are bricks and lipids hold everything together. Your lipids are Ceramides, Cholesterol, and free fatty acids.
These fatty acids are not just randomly squished together. They're arranged in very specific layered (lamellar) structures. Your barrier suffers when the layer structure gets disrupted from things like eczema, harsh weather, or over-exfoliating.
M/PO/AM is formulated within MLE technology to closely replicate your skin's natural layers, setting it apart from other ceramides.
The research behind M/PO/AM is pretty solid for eczema, aka atopic dermatitis. A 2003 study on children with eczema found that an MLE cream containing M/PO/AM outperformed a standard urea-based moisturizer. The study also found a 31-35% decrease in severity index compared to smaller improvements from the control cream.
Recently, a 2024 trial found that combining M/PO/AM with topical corticosteroid led to better outcomes than using the steroid alone. The trial noted improvements in skin hydration, dryness, itching, and quality of life scores.
Research has also shown that M/PO/AM can help reduce barrier-damaging side effects of long term topical steroid use.
This ingredient also goes by the trade name PC-9S. No notable allergy concerns have been flagged for this ingredient in the published literature.
Learn more about Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide MeaSodium 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 HyaluronateWater. 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
