What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isoamyl Cocoate
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Rose Extract
Skin ConditioningSalicornia Herbacea Extract
Skin ConditioningPadina Pavonica Thallus Extract
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Rosa Damascena Extract
MaskingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isoamyl Cocoate, Coco-Caprylate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Parfum, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citronellol, Geraniol, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Benzyl Salicylate, Rose Extract, Salicornia Herbacea Extract, Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena Extract
Squalane
Emollient
Prunus Domestica Seed Extract
EmollientCamelina Sativa Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Persea Gratissima Oil Unsaponifiables
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract
Skin ConditioningRose Extract
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Michelia Alba Leaf Oil
Masking
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
Emollient
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Squalane, Prunus Domestica Seed Extract, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil Unsaponifiables, Tocopherol, Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, Rose Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Michelia Alba Leaf Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Citral, Limonene, Eugenol
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 TriglycerideCitronellol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is often derived from plants such as roses. In fact, it can be found in many essential oils including geranium, lavender, neroli, and more. The scent of Citronellol is often described as "fresh, grassy, and citrus-like".
Since the Citronellol molecule is already unstable, Citronellol becomes irritating on the skin when exposed to air.
Citronellol is a modified terpene. Terpenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons found in plants. They make up the primary part of essential oils.
Citronellol is not able to be absorbed into deeper layers of the skin. It has low permeability,
Citronellol is also a natural insect repellent.
Learn more about CitronellolGeraniol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is the main component of citronellol. It is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol.
Monoterpenes are naturally found in many parts of different plants.
Geraniol can be found in many essential oils including Rose Oil and Citronella Oil. The scent of Geraniol is often described as "rose-like". Many foods also contain Geraniol for fruit flavoring.
Geraniol can irritate the skin when exposed to air. However, irritation depends on the ability of geraniol to penetrate into the skin. In general, geraniol is not able to penetrate skin easily.
Geraniol is colorless and has low water-solubility. However, it is soluble in common organic solvents.
Like citronellol, it is a natural insect repellent.
2,6-Octadien-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (2E)-
Learn more about GeraniolWe don't have a description for Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract yet.
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil is the pressed oil of the Rose Geranium plant. It has perfuming and masking properties.
This ingredient contains citronellol and geraniol. These compounds may cause allergies and skin-sensitivity.
The scent of Rose Geranium closely resembles. you guessed it: roses.
Learn more about Pelargonium Graveolens OilRosa Damascena Flower Oil is an essential oil made from the Damask Rose. It is often used as a fragrance in cosmetics.
Rose Oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties due to its terpene, glycoside, flavonoid, anthocyanin, and Vitamin C content.
Other major parts of Rose Oil include citronellol and geraniol. Both of these are known EU allergens and cause contact-allergies.
The downsides of this ingredient outweight the positives.
Learn more about Rosa Damascena Flower OilRose extract comes from various species of the Rosa genus. It has skin conditioning and antioxidant properties due to its polyphenol, flavonoid, and phenolic acid content.
Rosa damascena, Rosa centifolia, and Rosa gallica.
Just keep in mind that rose extracts contain known fragrance allergens like citronellol, geraniol, linalool, and limonene.
Learn more about Rose ExtractJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilTocopherol 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 Tocopherol
