What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Tetrapeptide-30
Skin Conditioning
Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract
MaskingGallyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Darutoside
Skin ConditioningDunaliella Salina Extract
Skin ConditioningOrnithine
Skin ConditioningPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycolipids
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Antioxidant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer
Propanediol
Solvent
Squalane
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Polyacrylate-13
Xanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Levulinic Acid
Perfuming
P-Anisic Acid
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyisobutene
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propyl Gallate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Jojoba Esters, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Niacinamide, PEG-100 Stearate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Tetrapeptide-30, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Gallyl Glucoside, Sodium Hyaluronate, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Darutoside, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Ornithine, Phospholipids, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Glycolipids, Betaine, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Beta-Glucan, Silica, Hdi/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Propanediol, Squalane, Polysorbate 20, Polyacrylate-13, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Levulinic Acid, P-Anisic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyisobutene, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Propyl Gallate, Ethylhexylglycerin
Glycerin
Humectant
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingMethyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Diglycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glyceryl Behenate
Emollient
PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Water
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Lecithin
Emollient
Phoenix Dactylifera Seed
Skin ConditioningPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningTheobroma Cacao Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin, Triethylhexanoin, Methyl Trimethicone, Diglycerin, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Behenate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Water, Ascorbic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Glyceryl Glucoside, Lecithin, Phoenix Dactylifera Seed, Phospholipids, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Extract, Tocopherol
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene 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 GlycolPhospholipids are a family of skin-identical lipids that makeup the structural backbone of every cell membrane in your body.
In cosmetics, they function as skin conditioning agents with emulsifier and surfactant properties. They're typically sourced from soybean or sunflower lecithin (or sometimes egg yolk or marine sources).
Because they mirror the lipids naturally found in the deeper layers of your skin, topical phospholipids help reinforce the lipid matrix, reduce transepidermal water loss, and leave skin feeling conditioned.
They're also used to form liposomes, or tiny self-assembling vesible used to stabilize actives like vitamin c or retinol. This helps these ingredients integrate into the upper layers of skin more easily.
Phospholipids are compatible with everything and the CIR Expert Panel has concluded them to be safe at current use levels.
Some types of phospholipids include:
Learn more about PhospholipidsTocopherol 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
