What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Kaolin
Abrasive
Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
HumectantGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientBetaine
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Seed Powder
Abrasive
Rosa Rugosa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingVitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Boswellia Carterii Oil
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Kaolin, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Glyceryl Caprylate, Betaine, Palmitic Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Prunus Armeniaca Seed Powder, Rosa Rugosa Flower Extract, Glycolic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Boswellia Carterii Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningKaolin
Abrasive
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Hectorite
AbsorbentSorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
EmollientCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingLevulinic Acid
Perfuming
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSalvia Sclarea Extract
AntiseborrhoeicSodium Sorbate
Preservative
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Polyepsilon-Lysine
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientDisodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingAluminum Hydroxide
EmollientParfum
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
CI 42051
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Kaolin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate, Pentylene Glycol, Hectorite, Sorbitan Oleate, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Levulinic Acid, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Sodium Sorbate, Jojoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyepsilon-Lysine, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Titanium Dioxide, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Glyceryl Caprylate, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, CI 42051
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateKaolin is a clay. It is used for oil control and to help minimize pores. Like other clays, kaolin has the ability to absorb excess sebum or oil. This can help clean out pores and mattify the skin.
Some types of kaolin may have exfoliating properties. When water is added to kaolin, it becomes a paste with small abrasive particles.
Most kaolin is a white color, but may be pink/orange/red depending on where it comes from.
The name 'kaolin' comes from a Chinese village named 'Gaoling'. Kaolin clay comes from rocks rich in kaolinite. Kaolinite, the mineral, has a silicate layered structure. Kaolinite is formed from chemical weathering of aluminum siilicate minerals.
Besides skincare, kaolin is commonly used to make glossy paper, in ceramics, toothpaste, and as medicine to soothe stomach issues.
Learn more about KaolinTocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan 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
