What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecanol
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Squalane
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPolyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Brassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract
Skin ProtectingGlyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientTriheptanoin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Stearate
CleansingKappaphycus Alvarezii Extract
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingCalcium Chloride
AstringentAlthaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Vanillin
Masking
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Water, Octyldodecanol, C13-15 Alkane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Mica, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glycerin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate, Triheptanoin, Xanthan Gum, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sodium Stearate, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Calcium Chloride, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Tocopherol, Vanillin, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningMica
Cosmetic ColorantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Diisostearyl Malate
EmollientC15-19 Alkane
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Triisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitol
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPolyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingPolyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-6 Polyhydroxystearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dimethicone
Emollient
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingPolyglycerin-6
HumectantAluminum Hydroxide
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Mica, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Diisostearyl Malate, C15-19 Alkane, Glycerin, Triisostearin, Sorbitol, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Triethylhexanoin, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyhydroxystearate, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Polyglycerin-6, Aluminum Hydroxide, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, CI 77891, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77491
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/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 TriglycerideDisteardimonium Hectorite comes from the clay mineral named hectorite. It is used to add thickness to a product.
It can also help stabilize a product by helping to disperse other ingredients.
Hectorite is a rare, white clay mineral.
Learn more about Disteardimonium HectoriteGlycerin (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 GlycerinMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaPolyhydroxystearic Acid is a vegetable-derived soft wax made from castor oil. It's an emulsion stabilizer, thickener, and film former.
You'll likely see it in sunscreens because it helps disperse pigments and UV-reflecting minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide evenly.
Depending on the concentration, it can drastically change the texture of a product from pasty solid (like lipstick) to sprayable liquid.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics. The highest reported use concentration is 14.2% in lipsticks.
Learn more about Polyhydroxystearic AcidTocopherol 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 Water
