What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyisobutene
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Methylpropanediol
SolventAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Panthenol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Methylpropanediol, Allantoin, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitan Oleate, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Brassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Citrate
BufferingXylitol
Humectant
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Mannitol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Rhamnose
HumectantXylitylglucoside
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Glucose
Humectant
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Sodium Polyacrylate, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Citrate, Xylitol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Mannitol, Tocopherol, Rhamnose, Xylitylglucoside, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Anhydroxylitol, Niacinamide, Glucose, Fructooligosaccharides, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilTocopherol 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
