What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Horse Fat
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Honey
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningPlacental Extract
Sh-Barley Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingTrisodium EDTA
Propylparaben
Preservative
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Urea
Buffering
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Propanediol, Horse Fat, Niacinamide, Ubiquinone, Persea Gratissima Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Squalane, Honey, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Lactobacillus/Soymilk Ferment Filtrate, Placental Extract, Sh-Barley Seed Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Behenyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Potassium Hydroxide, Trisodium EDTA, Propylparaben, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Urea, Parfum
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methicone
Emollient
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Petrolatum
Emollient
Diisostearyl Malate
EmollientPEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Collagen Powder
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water, Glycerin, Methicone, Alcohol, Petrolatum, Diisostearyl Malate, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Tocopherol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ubiquinone, Collagen Powder, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben
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 GlycerinMethylparaben is a synthetic preservative and one of the most widely used in the world. It has a simple, but important job: prevent your products from going bad by stopping bacteria, yeast, and mold from growing.
Typical use levels are low, often 0.1-0.3%.
This is also one of the most heavily studied preservatives out there and major regulatory bodies have repeatedly given it the green light.
In 2023, the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) confirmed that this ingredient is safe up to 0.4% on its own, of up to 0.8% when mixed with other paraben esters.
Here's the science behind the noise behind parabens/hormones as well:
Methylparaben shows very weak estrogen-like activity in vitro tests (more than 1,000x weaker than your body's own estradiol). In vivo (live-organism) studies don't support a meaningful endocrine-disrupting effect either.
You get a stronger estrogenic effect from eating tofu, actually.
It's also a low sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon; they usually happen on damage or broken skin.
There is a caveat: France has proposed to formally re-examine its endocrine classification in 2025 so the regulatory conversation isn't fully closed as of yet.
But as it stands today, this ingredient is considered safe at permitted levels.
Learn more about MethylparabenPhenoxyethanol 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.
Jojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilUbiquinone (Coenzyme Q10) is a molecule already found in our bodies. It is a potent antioxidant and skin-soothing ingredient.
Aging and environmental exposure diminishes our skin's natural ubiquinone levels. This is much like our natural collagen and elastin.
The good news is: studies show applying this ingredient topically replenishes ubiquinone levels in our skin. This also comes with a ton of skin benefits. These benefits include:
Ubiquinone is considered a large molecule and cannot be absorbed into the lower layers of skin. This is why it is believed to be such an effective antioxidant: it protects our skin in the upper layers and prevents damage in the deeper layers.
When used in sunscreen, ubiquinone is shown to increase ingredient stability, increase SPF factor, and add to infrared protection.
Fun fact: ubiquinone is fat-soluble.
Learn more about UbiquinoneWater. 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
