General Moisturizer
General Moisturizer
American United States
American United States

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Emollient
1 / 2

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Squalane

Emollient
1 / 0 Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glycine Soja Oil

Emollient
3 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning
Good for Barrier Repair Icon

Cetyl Alcohol

Emollient
2 / 2 Fatty Alcohol IconCoconut Derived IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Dimethicone

Emollient
1 / 0 Silicon IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate

Humectant
Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glyceryl Stearate

Emollient
1 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

PEG-100 Stearate

Surfactant
0 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Emulsifying

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

Masking
0-2 / 0 Oil IconFragrance IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil

Emollient
Oil IconBad for Acne Prone Skin Icon

Pseudozyma Epicola/Olive Fruit Oil Ferment Filtrate

Humectant
Oil IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate

Emollient

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables

Emollient
Oil IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Aspalathus Linearis Extract

Skin Conditioning

Olea Europaea Leaf Extract

Perfuming
Fragrance Icon

Honey Extract

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Boswellia Serrata Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Silybum Marianum Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

BHT

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Propanediol

Solvent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Lecithin

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Carnosine

Skin Conditioning
Helps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Salicylic Acid

Masking
BHA IconPreservative IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Skin Texture IconCan worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Niacinamide

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Polydextrose

Humectant

Dextrin

Absorbent

Amylopectin

Tetrapeptide-14

Skin Conditioning
Peptide Icon

Sodium Hydroxide

Buffering

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Chlorphenesin

Antimicrobial
Preservative Icon

Parfum

Masking
Synthetic Fragrance IconFragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Mica

Cosmetic Colorant

CI 77891

Cosmetic Colorant

CI 75470

Cosmetic Colorant
0 / 0

Tin Oxide

Abrasive
Exfoliant Icon

Reviews

2.00
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Expensive 75% Broke Me Out 50% Irritating 50%
5.00
Overall rating
5
4
3
2
1
What people say
Absorbs Well 100% Expensive 100% Hydrating 100%

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl 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 Glycol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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 Glycerin
Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.

Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:

It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.

Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.

We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.

Learn more about Lecithin
Preservative

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Squalane 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 Squalane
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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

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