What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Sodium Olivoyl Glutamate
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingPolyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCitrus Paradisi Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Coco-Caprylate, Sodium Olivoyl Glutamate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Niacinamide, Coco-Betaine, Glycerin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Propanediol, Lauryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Glycerin (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 (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSodium Stearoyl Glutamate is an amino-acid based emulsifier. It is made by combining stearic acid with L-glutamic acid and neutralizing it to a sodium salt.
As an emulsifier, it works mainly as an oil-in-water one and helps keep the oil and water in your formulas blended. It also contributes to a smooth, non-greasy skin feel.
This ingredient is biodegradable and commonly available in natural/COSMOS-certified grades.
Learn more about Sodium Stearoyl GlutamateTocopherol 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 TocopherolXanthan 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
