What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Ethylhexyl Cocoate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Isopropyl Stearate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Magnesium Sulfate
Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate
AbsorbentTrisodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Urea, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Isopropyl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Squalane, Sodium Lactate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Arginine Hcl, Ceramide NP, Lactic Acid, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Trisodium EDTA, BHT, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Methyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
C12-16 Alcohols
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sea Water
HumectantChondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide As
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Copernicia Cerifera Wax
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Cetearyl Alcohol, Methyl Trimethicone, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Methicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, C12-16 Alcohols, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sea Water, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Ceramide AP, Ceramide As, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NP, Ceramide Ns, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Palmitic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Stearic Acid, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Allantoin, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Cholesterol, Phytosphingosine, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCaprylic/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 TriglycerideCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
