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
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Hydrogenated Palm/Palm Kernel Oil PEG-6 Esters
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Microcrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Parfum
Masking
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Ribes Rubrum Fruit Extract
TonicRubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentSodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopheryl Glucoside
EmollientTropolone
Skin ConditioningVaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Palm/Palm Kernel Oil PEG-6 Esters, Triethanolamine, Glyceryl Stearate, Microcrystalline Wax, PEG-100 Stearate, Propylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Parfum, Phenyl Trimethicone, Ribes Rubrum Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopheryl Glucoside, Tropolone, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Tridecyl Trimellitate
EmollientGlycol Palmitate
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Canola Oil
Emollient
Triceteareth-4 Phosphate
EmulsifyingFructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Mannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Rhamnose
HumectantLaminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Germ Extract
EmollientAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
PEG-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Glycol Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Canola Oil, Triceteareth-4 Phosphate, Fructooligosaccharides, Mannitol, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Glycine Soja Germ Extract, Allantoin, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Propylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycol Stearate, PEG-2 Stearate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide
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
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 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, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolDisodium 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 EDTAParaffinum 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 LiquidumPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. 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
