What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Pseudozyma Epicola/Nitrosomonas Europaea/Oil Ferment Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Enterococcus Faecium/Saururus Chinensis Extract Ferment Filtrate
EmollientAspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Vitis Vinifera Oil
Perfuming
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetyl Alcohol, Pseudozyma Epicola/Nitrosomonas Europaea/Oil Ferment Filtrate, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Enterococcus Faecium/Saururus Chinensis Extract Ferment Filtrate, Aspalathus Linearis Leaf Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Histidine
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Glucose
Humectant
Maltose
MaskingFructose
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Urea
Buffering
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lecithin
Emollient
Triolein
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingIsoceteth-20
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Triethanolamine
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Trehalose, Sodium PCA, PCA, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Phytosteryl Canola Glycerides, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lecithin, Triolein, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Isoceteth-20, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Pentylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCaprylic/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 TriglycerideCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
