What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cyclopentasiloxane
EmollientIsostearyl Isostearate
EmollientOctyldodecanol
EmollientDimethyl Isosorbide
SolventHydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin ConditioningLecithin
EmollientEchium Plantagineum Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantCardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientCyclopentasiloxane, Isostearyl Isostearate, Octyldodecanol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Lecithin, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
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Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dimethyl 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