What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Triheptanoin
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
C9-12 Alkane
SolventDilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer
Steareth-20
CleansingAsparagopsis Armata Extract
Skin ProtectingCastor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningN-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Chrysin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Triheptanoin, Methylpropanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Polyacrylate, C9-12 Alkane, Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Steareth-20, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Chrysin, Sodium Hydroxide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
Heptyl Undecylenate
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Panthenyl Triacetate
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Naringenin
Skin ConditioningOleuropein
Antioxidant
Olea Europaea Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Phosphatidylserine
Emulsion StabilisingArnica Montana Extract
Skin ConditioningPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Dunaliella Salina Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Squalane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Carbonate
SolventStearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingCyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Heptyl Undecylenate, Glycine Soja Oil, Panthenyl Triacetate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Naringenin, Oleuropein, Olea Europaea Leaf Extract, Phosphatidylserine, Arnica Montana Extract, Phospholipids, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Methicone, Propylene Carbonate, Stearalkonium Hectorite
Reviews
Alternatives
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 TriglyceridePalmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.
That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.
Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.
Human clinical data is promising, but modest:
A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.
A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.
You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
