This smoothing night moisturizer is formulated around Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract and Glycolic Acid to refine skin texture and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCanola Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Steareth-2
EmulsifyingShorea Stenoptera Seed Butter
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Steareth-21
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Bark/Twig Extract
AstringentSodium Lactate
Buffering
Tapioca Starch
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-60 Almond Glycerides
Emulsifying
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid
Antioxidant
Oleanolic Acid
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Canola Oil, Glycerin, Steareth-2, Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Steareth-21, Cetearyl Alcohol, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Bark/Twig Extract, Sodium Lactate, Tapioca Starch, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Butylene Glycol, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, Oleanolic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Carbomer, Tocopherol, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol, Allantoin, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Hybrid Oil
Emollient
Olus Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycol Cetearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Stearic Acid, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitol, Helianthus Annuus Hybrid Oil, Olus Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dimethicone, Glycol Cetearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateCaprylyl 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, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCarbomer is a synthetic thickening and gelling agent. It's basically the ingredient that gives a lot of serums, gels, creams, and sunscreens their smooth, non-sticky texture.
Although legally permitted at very high levels, carbomers are normally used at concentrations below 1%.
It also needs to be neutralized to actually thicken, and because it is a large molecule, it doesn't really penetrate the skin barrier.
Allergy-wise, the risk is very low. Clinical studies show carbomers have low potential for skin irritation/sensitization even at concentrations up to 100%.
A 2024 UK study patch-tested 1,302 patients and found true allergy to the parent group of carbomer to be rare with no confirmed relevant reactions.
Learn more about CarbomerPhenoxyethanol 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 Water
