What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycine Soja Oil is a plant-derived oil from soybean seeds. Like other oils, it is rich in essential fatty acids (mostly linoleic and oleic) that support skin hydration and barrier function.
The fatty acids are able to integrate into the lipid matrix of the stratum corneum to help soften skin and reduce water loss.
On top of that, soybean oil is rich in vitamins like vitamin E, a potent antioxidant.
Research on soybean's active components also point to anti-inflammatory, collagen-stimulating, antioxidant activity, and protection against UV-induced oxidative damage.
Most of this research applies to the broader soybean plant and not just the oil fraction alone.
This ingredient does carry a comedogenic rating of 3 from the old rabbit-ear assay. Just remember testing finished products in humans showed that formulas built with "comedogenic" ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic themselves. It's worth patch testing if you're breakout prone, and always listen to your skin.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe due to the oleic acid content.
Learn more about Glycine Soja OilLaureth-4 is a nonionic surfactant made by attaching an average of four ethylene oxide units to Lauryl Alcohol, a fatty alcohol from coconut or palm kernel oil.
In a formula, it does two jobs:
A 2012 assessment found this ingredient is used in leave-on products at up to 21%, which is at the very high end for the category; most cosmetic use is far lower and typically in the single digits.
A true allergy to Laureth-4 is rare; similar alcohol ethoxylates tested negative for skin sensitization in undiluted guinea pig studies, and related compounds were non-sensitizing in Magnusson-Kligman maximization tests.
There is one caveat for this whole ingredient family: ethoxylated surfactants slowly oxidize when exposed to air, and it's the oxidation products, not the fresh material, that act as sensitizers. This is mostly a formulation and shelf life issue.
Dr. James Fulton's rabbit ear test from the 1980's scored this ingredient as a 5 on the comedogenic scale. Fulton himself described the rabbit ear as not an ideal model and the tests used undiluted ingredients on rabbit ears, which are more reactive than human facial skin.
Dr. Draelos later used a human assay on finished cosmetic products and found that products built with so-called comedogenic ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic themselves.
This ingredient can be potentially pore clogging if it appears high in the ingredient list of a leave-on product.
The fungal acne picture is actually reassuring: Malassezia uses fatty acids from its surroundings (C11-24). This ingredient has nothing for the Malassezia yeast to use since it is an alcohol and not an acid.
Supporting this, closely related ethoxylated alcohol detergents like Ceteth-20 get used in Malassezia lab work as neutral carriers to disperse a separately added fatty acid (not as the food source itself).
Learn more about Laureth-4Mipa-Laureth Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
Propyl Gallate is a synthetic antioxidant. It works by protecting the oils, fats, and fragrance compounds in a formula from going rancid through oxidation, helping the product stay stable and effective for longer.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel recommends keeping Propyl Gallate at or below 0.1% due to potential sensitization at higher levels, and most formulas stay within that limit.
We flag Propyl Gallate as both a general irritant and a lip irritant because direct skin contact can trigger redness or allergic contact dermatitis. The more sensitive skin on and around the lips is prone to reacting.
Learn more about Propyl GallatePropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolThis ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.
The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.
In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:
Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.
Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.
Learn more about Ricinus Communis 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 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 Water
