Lip Mask
Lip Mask
Korean South Korea
Korean South Korea

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

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Works Well 61% Hydrating 58% Expensive 44%

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

This ingredient is a high-molecular weight synthetic polymer. It is used to modify the viscosity of a formula, improve slip, and create a more "cushiony" texture.

Due to its large molecular size, this ingredient is not absorbed into the skin.

Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Diisostearyl Malate is an emollient and most often used in lip products. It comes from isostearyl alcohol, a fatty acid, and malic acid, an AHA.

As an emollient, Diisostearyl Malate helps create a thin film on your skin to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin soft and smooth.

This is a synthetic polymer used to thicken formulas, improve texture, and enhance spreadability.

Due to its large molecule size, this ingredient does not penetrate the skin and is considered well-tolerated.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin (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 Glycerin
Emollient, Emulsifying

Glyceryl 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 Caprylate
Emollient, Skin Conditioning

This ingredient is a synthetic ingredient with emollient and skin conditioner used to make skincare products feel more lightweight on the skin. It helps improve slip and spreadability without feeling greasy.

Because it is high molecular weight and lipophilic (oil loving), it remains on the surface of skin.

Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene is a synthetic polymer. Polymers are compounds with high molecular weight. Hydrogenated Polyisobutene is an emollient and texture enhancer.

In one study, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene showed better skin hydration levels than Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. As an emollient, it helps keep your skin soft and hydrated by trapping moisture in.

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene is often used as a mineral oil replacement.

Learn more about Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate is an emollient ester.

As an emollient, it softens and hydrates your skin by locking moisture in. Its large, branched structure gives it a thick, cushiony feel without being greasy. This is why it shows up most often in lip balms, lipsticks, and other stick or balm formulas, where it adds gloss and helps hold waxes and pigments together.

The phytosterol portion is a nice extra. Phytosterols are plant-based lipids that are structurally similar to ones found naturally in skin, so they can help support the skin barrier.

Because this ingredient contains C16, C18, and C22 fatty chains, it may not be Malassezia/fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast potentially feeds on fatty acids in the C11-C24 range. If you're prone to flare-ups, you might want to patch-test or skip this one.

Learn more about Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate
Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate isn't fungal acne safe.

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