What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingHexyldecanol
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Oleyl Adapalenate
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Xylitol
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Brassica Campestris Sterols
EmollientZingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientSilica
Abrasive
Dextrin Palmitate
Emulsifying
Diisostearyl Malate
Emollient4-T-Butylcyclohexanol
Masking
Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid
Skin ConditioningSodium Phytate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Propanediol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycereth-26, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hexyldecanol, Betaine, Glycerin, Oleyl Adapalenate, Madecassoside, Xylitol, Bisabolol, Lactobacillus Ferment, Brassica Campestris Sterols, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Tocopherol, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Silica, Dextrin Palmitate, Diisostearyl Malate, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Cetylhydroxyproline Palmitamide, Stearic Acid, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Sodium Phytate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Salicylic Acid 2%
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Squalane
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glyceryl Ether
CleansingOleyl Adapalenate
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Punica Granatum Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Glycerin
Humectant
Salicylic Acid 2%, Water, Propanediol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Squalane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Potassium Hydroxide, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glyceryl Ether, Oleyl Adapalenate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Centella Asiatica Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Bisabolol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideGlycerin (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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolWater. 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 WaterOleyl Adapalenate (OA) is a third-generation synthetic retinoid. It's basically adapalene with an oleyl alcohol molecule attached via an ester bond to make it water-soluble.
In the skin, natural esterases in the epidermis are predicted to break that ester bond and convert it into active adapalene. This "smart" delivery system means it can dissolve easily into oils and emollients in a formula, penetrate the skin more effectively, and slowly release adapalene where it's needed.
Another perk? It doesn't share the oxidative instability issues that vitamin A derivatives like retinol or retinaldehyde have.
One 12-week, double-blind, randomized trial found 0.5% OA was better at reducing wrinkle severity, comparable in improving pigment intensity, and was tolerated better than 0.5% retinol.
At 12 weeks, only 5% of the OA group reported burning and 10% reported scaling. The retinol group reported much higher rates of itching, burning, stinging, scaling, and redness.
Just remember this is a relatively new ingredient with limited long-term data; researchers noted the 12 week study's single trial site and short duration as limitations and recommended further studies with more diverse populations and longer timelines.
This ingredient is typically used at levels between 0.1% - 0.5%.
Learn more about Oleyl Adapalenate
