What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Arginine
Masking
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Betaine
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Trioleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Sorbitan Laurate
Emulsifying
Apium Graveolens Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAcetyl Dipeptide-3 Aminohexanoate
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
Skin Conditioning
Azulene
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract, Water, Propanediol, Niacinamide, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tranexamic Acid, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Arginine, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Betaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Sorbitan Trioleate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Sorbitan Laurate, Apium Graveolens Seed Extract, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Acetyl Dipeptide-3 Aminohexanoate, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Azulene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s 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 BetaineCapryloyl Salicylic Acid comes from salicylic acid, the famous acne-fighting BHA.
It usually goes by a more common name of LHA, or lipohydroxy acid.
Like salicylic acid, this ingredient is a chemical exfoliant that can help break down the oil in your pores and reduce inflammation.
Though studies for LHA do show it to be less effective than salicylic acid. To be fair, salicylic acid is the reigning monarch of acne treatments.
However, a study from 2009 found LHA to be comparable to BPO, making it a good alternative for people with sensitive skin. Another study of 14 patients found a significant decrease in comedones after using LHA.
Another pro of LHA? It is less irritating than salicylic acid due to its large molecule size.
Large molecules cannot penetrate skin as well, so they are gentler on the skin. LHA is much less penetrative than salicylic acid.
An in-vitro study (not done on a living organism) found only 6% of LHA penetrated past the statum corneum compared to 58% of salicylic acid. An in-vivo (done on a living organism) analysis revealed ~17% of LHA was still present in the top layer of skin after 4 days, versus ~9% of salicylic acid.
Interestingly, a study from 2008 found LHA comparable to another famous acid, glycolic acid.
This study found about 10% of LHA is as effective as 20-50% of glycolic acid in treating hyperpigmentation and fine-lines.
Hydroxy acids have been found to stimulate skin protein, lipids, and thermal thickening. This may have anti-aging benefits.
Learn more about Capryloyl Salicylic AcidDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidWater. 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
