What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningIsostearyl Isostearate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Xylitol
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Emulsifying
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingMicrocrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentFructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax
Emulsifying
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Phytate
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium Adenosine Triphosphate
Skin ConditioningWater, Isostearyl Isostearate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Xylitol, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Capryloyl Glycine, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Fructooligosaccharides, Jojoba Esters, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Maltodextrin, Cellulose Gum, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Phytate, Lactic Acid, Tocopherol, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Carnosine, Disodium Adenosine Triphosphate
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Isohexadecane
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Starch
AbsorbentPolymethyl Methacrylate
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientDisodium Phosphate
BufferingGlyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Myrtus Communis Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Polyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Tripterygium Wilfordii Callus Extract
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isohexadecane, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Octyldodecanol, Oryza Sativa Starch, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Benzoic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Laurate, Myrtus Communis Leaf Extract, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 20, Potassium Phosphate, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Tocopherol, Tripterygium Wilfordii Callus Extract, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideTocopherol 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
