What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Oxygen
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTetrasodium Iminodisuccinate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Pentadecalactone
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Panthenol, Trehalose, Oxygen, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Dipropylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Pentadecalactone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Lauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
C15-19 Alkane
SolventMyristyl Myristate
Emollient
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lauroyl Lysine, C15-19 Alkane, Myristyl Myristate, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Stearic Acid, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Capryloyl Glycine, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. 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. Be sure to 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.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.
As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.
Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
