What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Lactamide Mea
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
Cleansing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Ciclopirox Olamine
AntimicrobialCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPiroctone Olamine
Preservative
Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Phytate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Lactamide Mea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Ciclopirox Olamine, Citric Acid, Disodium Phosphate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Piroctone Olamine, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Phytate, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lactamide Mea
HumectantGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Guanidine Carbonate
BufferingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Ceteareth-33
CleansingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Ethanolamine
BufferingGlycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingTetrasodium EDTA
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lactamide Mea, Glycolic Acid, Guanidine Carbonate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Ceteareth-33, Bisabolol, Ethanolamine, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Piroctone Olamine, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tocopherol
Reviews
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 TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateGlycyrrhetinic acid is a compound found in licorice. It has skin conditioning, skin soothing, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.
Not only is this a great ingredient for soothing inflammation, studies show this compound is effective at protecting skin against UV-B induced damage.
Fun fact: This ingredient is also used to mask the bitter taste of medicine.
Learn more about Glycyrrhetinic AcidWe don't have a description for Lactamide Mea yet.
Piroctone Olamine is a synthetic antifungal and preservative ingredient.
Its main job is to keep the yeast, Malassezia, in check; this yeast is linked to dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and fungal acne (a.k.a. Malassezia folliculitis).
The way it works is pretty neat:
It slips into the fungal cell and grabs onto iron ions that the yeast needs for its energy metabolism; this basically starves it out. But the full mechanism isn't 100% pinned down and some research also points it to interfering with ergosterol (a building block of the fungal cell membrane).
Besides antifungal action, it also has mild anti-inflammatory and soothing effects to help calm itchiness in the scalp.
Typical usage concentrations are low. The EU permits it to be a preservative up to 1% in rinse-off products and 0.5% in leave-on products.
Though it's generally well-tolerated, a small number of people may notice itching or irritation (as with any active).
Learn more about Piroctone OlamineSerenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract can be good for oily skin.
Water. 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
