What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Azelaic Acid
Buffering
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Disodium EDTA
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Water, Butylene Glycol, Azelaic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Behenyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Bisabolol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Disodium EDTA, Beta-Glucan, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Azelaic acid is a multitasker ingredient that helps treat acne, pigmentation, and irritation. It is a great option for sensitive skin.
What makes it special?
OTC Azelaic acid is usually available in concentrations from 10-15% and anything over requires a prescription.
Here's what each tier does best:
Unlike other acids, azelaic acid will not make your skin more photosensitive/sun sensitive.
Though this ingredient is naturally occurring in grains like wheat, rye, and barley, it is usually synthetically created for cosmetics to ensure stability and effectiveness.
Learn more about Azelaic AcidCaprylic/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 TriglycerideDisodium 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 EDTAWater. 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
