What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaffeine
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sucrose Polystearate
EmollientHydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides
EmollientPentaerythrityl Distearate
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMica
Cosmetic ColorantGlyceryl Dibehenate
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTribehenin
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Maris Aqua
HumectantWater, Caffeine, Maltodextrin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Sucrose Polystearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, CI 77891, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Mica, Glyceryl Dibehenate, Hydroxyacetophenone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tribehenin, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Behenate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Maris Aqua
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Caffeine 4.8%
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Beheneth-25
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Isosorbide Dicaprylate
Skin ConditioningTribehenin
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Citronellyl Methylcrotonate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPolysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Propanediol, Caffeine 4.8%, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Maltodextrin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Beheneth-25, Glyceryl Stearate, Isosorbide Dicaprylate, Tribehenin, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Citronellyl Methylcrotonate, Phenoxyethanol, Ferulic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polysorbate 80, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Tocopherol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caffeine 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 CaffeineCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinTocopherol 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 TocopherolTribehenin comes from glycerin and behenic acid.
It is used as an emollient, or moisturizer. Emollients form a thin barrier on skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about TribeheninWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
