What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientEthylhexyl Stearate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-2 Sesquiisostearate
EmulsifyingGlycerin
HumectantStearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientAllantoin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientBisabolol
AntioxidantNiacinamide
SmoothingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientCera Alba
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientRetinyl Palmitate
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
EmollientLecithin
EmollientAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantMagnesium Sulfate
Sucrose Polystearate
EmollientMyristyl Lactate
EmollientCetyl Acetate
EmollientSodium Lactate
BufferingSodium PCA
HumectantLevulinic Acid
PerfumingCalcium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
EmulsifyingStearyl Acetate
EmollientSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOleyl Acetate
EmollientSodium Hydroxide
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientCitric Acid
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Dehydroacetate
PreservativeParfum
MaskingLinalool
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingCitral
PerfumingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingWater, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Sesquiisostearate, Glycerin, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Bisabolol, Niacinamide, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cera Alba, Glycine Soja Oil, Retinyl Palmitate, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Magnesium Sulfate, Sucrose Polystearate, Myristyl Lactate, Cetyl Acetate, Sodium Lactate, Sodium PCA, Levulinic Acid, Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Stearyl Acetate, Sodium Levulinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Oleyl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Parfum, Linalool, Geraniol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Limonene, Citral, Hexyl Cinnamal
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingPropanediol
SolventPunica Granatum Seed Oil
EmollientMethylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate
Skin ConditioningSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialRubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin ConditioningBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment
Skin ConditioningUbiquinone
AntioxidantEpigallocatechin Gallate
AntioxidantMadecassoside
AntioxidantAsiaticoside
AntioxidantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningArginine
MaskingGlycolipids
Skin ConditioningOrnithine
Skin ConditioningRetinal
Skin ConditioningBisabolol
AntioxidantLecithin
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientLevulinic Acid
PerfumingPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingCyclodextrin
AbsorbentPhytosteryl Macadamiate
Skin ConditioningSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentPhospholipids
Skin ConditioningHexapeptide-8
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin ConditioningLonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
PerfumingSodium Acrylates Copolymer
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Polyisobutene
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPotassium Sorbate
PreservativePolyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Rubus Chamaemorus Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Beta-Glucan, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces/Xylinum/Black Tea Ferment, Ubiquinone, Epigallocatechin Gallate, Madecassoside, Asiaticoside, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Panthenol, Arginine, Glycolipids, Ornithine, Retinal, Bisabolol, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Levulinic Acid, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Cyclodextrin, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phospholipids, Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
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 BisabololGlycerin (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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinLevulinic Acid is a fragrance that comes from the degradation of cellulose. It is a saturated fatty acid.
This ingredient is often used a building block for other compounds, such as in pharmaceuticals.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient smells like caramel.
Learn more about Levulinic AcidTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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