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
Methylpropanediol
SolventButyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Pantolactone
Humectant
Water, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Panthenol, Methylpropanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Allantoin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbitan Oleate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Oil, Pantolactone
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Hexyldecanol
Emollient
Hexyldecyl Laurate
EmollientAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAnhydroxylitol
Humectant
Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate
Emulsifying
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Pantolactone
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-4 Cocoate
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xylitol
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sorbitol, Hexyldecanol, Hexyldecyl Laurate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Anhydroxylitol, Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, Pantolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate, Polyglyceryl-4 Cocoate, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xylitol, Xylitylglucoside
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 GlycerinGlycine Soja Oil is a plant-derived oil from soybean seeds. Like other oils, it is rich in essential fatty acids (mostly linoleic and oleic) that support skin hydration and barrier function.
The fatty acids are able to integrate into the lipid matrix of the stratum corneum to help soften skin and reduce water loss.
On top of that, soybean oil is rich in vitamins like vitamin E, a potent antioxidant.
Research on soybean's active components also point to anti-inflammatory, collagen-stimulating, antioxidant activity, and protection against UV-induced oxidative damage.
Most of this research applies to the broader soybean plant and not just the oil fraction alone.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe due to the oleic acid content.
Learn more about Glycine Soja OilHelianthus 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 OilPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPantolactone is a synthetically created humectant.
As a humectant, Pantolactone helps draw moisture to the skin. It can help add hydration to your skin.
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.
Tocopherol 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
