What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Carnitine
Cleansing
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Carrageenan
Cholesterol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tapioca Starch
Dimethicone
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Decylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Urea, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Octyldodecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Lactate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Ceramide NP, Lactic Acid, Arginine Hcl, Glycine, Alanine, Carnitine, Sodium PCA, Carrageenan, Cholesterol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tapioca Starch, Dimethicone, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Decylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Colloidal Oatmeal
Absorbent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventPEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Polyglyceryl-2 Caprate
EmulsifyingDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Cetyl Palmitate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Dimethicone, Methylpropanediol, PEG-40 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Piroctone Olamine, Carbomer, Benzyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-2 Caprate, Decylene Glycol
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 TriglycerideWe don't have a description for Decylene Glycol yet.
Dimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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 GlycerinOctyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol sourced from plant oils like coconut or palm (or made synthetically).
It is:
You'll likely see this in many BHA products because this is the go-to solvent for salicylic acid.
This ingredient is typically used at levels between 2-20%.
Regarding fungal acne:
In 2019, this ingredient was tested against multiple Malassezia species (the yeast that causes fungal acne) and showed no growth.
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
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
