What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Squalane
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCynanchum Atratum Extract
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Polyglycerin-6
HumectantCitric Acid
Buffering
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Glucose
Humectant
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingC15-19 Alkane
SolventPolyglyceryl-6 Laurate
Emulsifying
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Arachidyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Behenyl Alcohol, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Maltodextrin, Polyglycerin-6, Citric Acid, Sorbitan Oleate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Arachidyl Glucoside, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, C15-19 Alkane, Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Glycol Palmitate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Salvia Miltiorrhiza Flower/Leaf/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningRhamnose
HumectantGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycol Palmitate, Squalane, Sucrose Stearate, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Carnosine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Mannitol, Xylitol, Tocopherol, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Flower/Leaf/Root Extract, Rhamnose, Glycine Soja Oil, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinSorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
