What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water
MaskingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Flower/Leaf/Stem Juice
Skin ConditioningC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Reticulata Peel Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Taraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Pentylene Glycol, C14-22 Alcohols, Butylene Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Behenyl Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Avena Sativa Flower/Leaf/Stem Juice, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Citrus Reticulata Peel Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Taraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningCanola Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cera Alba
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Zinc Sulfate
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientMagnesium Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
Masking
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAscorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Water, Canola Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cera Alba, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Zinc Sulfate, Tocopherol, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Magnesium Stearate, Parfum, P-Anisic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Ascorbyl Palmitate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene 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 Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilPentylene 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
