What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion Stabilising
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Squalane
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Hordeum Distichon Extract
Skin ProtectingTriticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Lavandula Stoechas Extract
MaskingDimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Tribehenin
Emollient
PEG-10 Phytosterol
EmulsifyingDimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Caprylyl Methicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Squalane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Hordeum Distichon Extract, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Ceramide Ng, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bisabolol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Lavandula Stoechas Extract, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dimethiconol, Tribehenin, PEG-10 Phytosterol
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
PEG-8
HumectantBis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane
EmollientMethyl Gluceth-20
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Diglycerin
Humectant
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventSodium Acrylates Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lecithin
Emollient
Tromethamine
BufferingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Retinal
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Glycerin
Humectant
Vigna Aconitifolia Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSea Water
HumectantMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Algin
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Sucrose
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Propanediol, PEG-8, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Methyl Gluceth-20, Glycereth-26, Butylene Glycol, Diglycerin, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Lecithin, Tromethamine, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Bisabolol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Retinal, Disodium EDTA, Glycerin, Vigna Aconitifolia Seed Extract, Sea Water, Maltodextrin, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Hydrolyzed Algin, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Sucrose, Carbomer, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololDimethyl Isosorbide is a low-irritation solvent that helps deliver actives into your skin. It is created from glucose.
Research shows how well this ingredient works depends on the active and formulation rather than the concentration alone. This means adding more Dimethyl Isosorbide does not guarantee better penetration of ingredients into the skin.
This ingredient is a retinoid. It usually goes by a more common name: "Granactive".
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) belongs to the class of retinoids that also includes retinol and tretinoin.
Retinoids have been proven to:
So what is the difference between all the retinoids?
Most retinoids need to go through a conversion line to become effective on skin. The ending product is retinoic acid. Retinoic acid is AKA tretinoin.
HPR is an ester of tretinoin. Emerging studies suggest HPR to have an added benefit that other retinoids don't have: Low irritation.
A study from 2021 found HPR to have the greatest stability when exposed to light and temperature out of all the commercial retinoids.
A note about naming:
The name "Granactive" is the trade name and the name most commonly used on packages.
Granactive is the name of the mixture - about 90% solvent and 10% HPR. A product with 5% granactive has 0.5% HPR.
Learn more about Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
