What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isohexadecane
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Methyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Propylene Glycol Alginate
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Disodium EDTA
Glyceryl Linoleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Linolenate
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Palmitate
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Dextran Sulfate
Gel Forming
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Glucoside
EmollientVanilla Tahitensis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isohexadecane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Methyl Gluceth-20, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Bakuchiol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Linoleate, Glyceryl Linolenate, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Palmitate, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Vanilla Tahitensis Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-12
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Ribes Rubrum Fruit Extract
TonicRubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Dextran Sulfate
Gel Forming
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingTocopheryl Glucoside
EmollientVaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, PEG-12, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Ribes Rubrum Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Dextran Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
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
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. 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. Be sure to 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.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCaprylyl 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 or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCarbomer 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 CarbomerDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumPeg-100 Stearate is an emollient and emulsifier. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft by trapping moisture in. On the other hand, emulsifiers help prevent oil and water from separating in a product.
PEGS are a hydrophilic polyether compound . There are 100 ethylene oxide monomers in Peg-100 Stearate. Peg-100 Stearate is polyethylene glycol ester of stearic acid.
Sodium Dextran Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWe don't have a description for Tocopheryl Glucoside yet.
Water. 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
