What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAzelaic Acid
Buffering
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Kojic Acid
Antioxidant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Ethyl Linoleate
Emollient
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Dodecane
Emollient
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Glyceryl Undecylenate
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ribose
HumectantSodium Acetate
BufferingBakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Cellulose
Absorbent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Azelaic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Kojic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylresorcinol, Ethyl Linoleate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Dodecane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Squalane, Bisabolol, Glyceryl Laurate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Allantoin, Ribose, Sodium Acetate, Bakuchiol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin Conditioning
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-6 Laurate
Emulsifying
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sorbitan Palmitate
Emulsifying
PPG-26-Buteth-26
Skin Conditioning4-Butylresorcinol
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Arginine
Masking
Sodium DNA
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Hydroxyresveratrol
BleachingAcer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningPaeonia Officinalis Flower Extract
TonicGlycereth-6 Tricocoate
Emollient
Hexanoyl Dipeptide-3 Norleucine Acetate
Skin Conditioning
Tetrapeptide-30
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycine Soja Seed Extract, Niacinamide, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sorbitan Palmitate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, 4-Butylresorcinol, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Arginine, Sodium DNA, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Hydroxyresveratrol, Acer Saccharum Extract, Paeonia Officinalis Flower Extract, Glycereth-6 Tricocoate, Hexanoyl Dipeptide-3 Norleucine Acetate, Tetrapeptide-30, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/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 GlycerinLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc. The trade name for this ingredient is Leucidal.
Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid.
This ingredient has antimicrobial properties and helps prevent the growth of bacteria in a product.
Leuconostoc is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Learn more about Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment FiltratePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
