What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
PEG-100 Stearate
10-Hydroxydecenoic Acid
Skin ConditioningAvena Sativa Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzoic Acid
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Polyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Niacinamide, PEG-100 Stearate, 10-Hydroxydecenoic Acid, Avena Sativa Leaf/Stem Extract, Benzoic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCamellia Sinensis Flower Extract
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingLimonene
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Behenyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Parfum, Tocopherol, Saccharide Isomerate, Carbomer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Hydroxide, Camellia Sinensis Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Limonene, Citral, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl 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 GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTocopherol 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
