What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Decyl Oleate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isostearyl Isostearate
Emollient
PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Maris Aqua
HumectantPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Silver
Cosmetic ColorantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Decyl Oleate, Glycerin, Isostearyl Isostearate, PPG-10 Methyl Glucose Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Glyceryl Stearate, Octyldodecanol, Maris Aqua, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Dimethicone, Parfum, Silver, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Zinc Gluconate, Madecassoside, Lactic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cera Alba
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglycerin-3
Humectant
Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tropolone
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Octyldodecanol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cera Alba, Jojoba Esters, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Glyceryl Stearate, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Polyglycerin-3, Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tocopherol, Tropolone, Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Reviews
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 TriglycerideGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateOctyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol sourced from plant oils like coconut or palm (or made synthetically).
It is:
You'll likely see this in many BHA products because this is the go-to solvent for salicylic acid.
This ingredient is typically used at levels between 2-20%.
Regarding fungal acne:
In 2019, this ingredient was tested against multiple Malassezia species (the yeast that causes fungal acne) and showed no growth.
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
