What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Palmitoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Decylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Potassium Palmitoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Betaine, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Decylene Glycol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Betaine
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Phytosteryl Isostearate
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate
Emulsifying
Propanediol
Solvent
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Phytate
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Bisabolol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Betaine, Carbomer, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide Ng, Phytosteryl Isostearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Behenyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate, Propanediol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCaprylic/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 TriglycerideGlycerin (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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilWater. 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
