What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-10 Distearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Sunflower Oil Decyl Esters
Skin Conditioning
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Viscum Album Fruit Extract
SoothingSorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Arginine
Masking
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Salvia Officinalis Oil
Masking
Santalum Album Oil
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Myristoyl/Palmitoyl Oxostearamide/Arachamide Mea, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-10 Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Sunflower Oil Decyl Esters, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Viscum Album Fruit Extract, Sorbitan Stearate, Beta-Glucan, Tocopherol, Phytosterols, Carbomer, Allantoin, Stearic Acid, Arginine, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Salvia Officinalis Oil, Santalum Album Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea
Emollient
Polyacrylate-13
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingMannitol
Humectant
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPolyisobutene
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPanax Ginseng Root Water
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPerilla Ocymoides Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Cholesterol
Emollient
Bupleurum Falcatum Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAngelica Acutiloba Root Extract
Skin ConditioningOphiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGlucose
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Glycine Max Oil
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Canola Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Stearic Acid, Behenyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Arachidyl Alcohol, C14-22 Alcohols, Hydroxypropyl Bispalmitamide Mea, Polyacrylate-13, Arachidyl Glucoside, Mannitol, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Polyisobutene, Glyceryl Caprylate, Panax Ginseng Root Water, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Carbomer, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Cholesterol, Bupleurum Falcatum Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Glucose, Silica, Glycine Max Oil, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Tocopherol, Canola Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTocopherol 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
