What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Cetearyl Isononanoate

Emollient
May worsen Oily Skin Icon

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Isononyl Isononanoate

Emollient

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking
Coconut Derived IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Pentylene Glycol

Skin Conditioning
Good for Barrier Repair Icon

PPG-3 Myristyl Ether

Emollient

Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer

Dipsacus Sylvestris Extract

Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol

Humectant
1 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Parfum

Masking
Synthetic Fragrance IconFragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Propanediol

Solvent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Tromethamine

Buffering

Silybum Marianum Seed Oil

Skin Conditioning
Oil IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Carbomer

Emulsion Stabilising
1 / 0

Tocopheryl Acetate

Antioxidant
0 / 0 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps brighten skin Icon

Escin

Tonic

Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Squalane

Emollient
1 / 0 Helps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

Abrasive
Antioxidant IconExfoliant IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Theobroma Cacao Extract

Skin Conditioning

Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer

Leontopodium Alpinum Extract

Skin Conditioning

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Persea Gratissima Oil Unsaponifiables

Skin Conditioning
Oil IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Caramel

Cosmetic Colorant

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Masking
Fragrance Icon

Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine

Skin Conditioning

Musa Sapientum Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning

Salicornia Herbacea Extract

Skin Conditioning

Actinidia Chinensis Fruit Extract

Emollient

Kalanchoe Pinnata Leaf Extract

Masking

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Myrothamnus Flabellifolia Leaf/Stem Extract

Humectant

Disodium EDTA

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Astringent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Maltodextrin

Absorbent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Orthosiphon Stamineus Extract

Skin Conditioning

Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract

Masking

Mangifera Indica Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Jania Rubens Extract

Skin Conditioning

Ascorbic Acid

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Sodium Citrate

Buffering

Engelhardtia Chrysolepis Leaf Extract

Skin Conditioning

CI 14700

Cosmetic Colorant
2 / 1

Callicarpa Japonica Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Humectant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

Learn more about Butylene Glycol
Masking, Skin Conditioning

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 Triglyceride
Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Carbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.

Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.

A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.

Learn more about Carbomer

Disodium 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 EDTA
Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

Learn more about Ethylhexylglycerin
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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 Glycerin
Buffering, Masking

Tromethamine helps balance the pH and improve the texture of a product. It is synthetically created.

As an emulsifier, Tromethamine prevents oil and water ingredients from separating. This helps stabilize the product and elongate a product's shelf life. Tromethamine also makes a product thicker.

Tromethamine helps balance the pH level of a product. Normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5). The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome. Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.

Oral Tromethanmine is an anti-inflammatory drug but plays the role of masking, adding fragrance, and/or balancing pH in skincare.

1,3-Propanediol, 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-

Learn more about Tromethamine
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. 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

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