What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
C15-19 Alkane
SolventCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Hydroxystearic Acid
Cleansing
Rosa Canina Seed Oil
Emollient
Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Corn Starch Modified
AbsorbentGlyceryl Caprylate
Emollient3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Gellan Gum
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Phytate
Citrus Bergamia Peel Oil Expressed 0.226%
Perfuming
Water, Niacinamide, C15-19 Alkane, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Hydroxystearic Acid, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Corn Starch Modified, Glyceryl Caprylate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Gellan Gum, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Sodium Phytate, Citrus Bergamia Peel Oil Expressed 0.226%
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3
Skin Protecting
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingMelatonin
Antioxidant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil
Humectant
Geranyl Linalool 0.045%
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearic Acid, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tocopherol, Phospholipids, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Melatonin, Persea Gratissima Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Xanthan Gum, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil, Geranyl Linalool 0.045%
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateGlyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.
As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.
Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeSodium Anisate comes from fennel. It is used as a preservative and to add flavoring.
Sodium Anisate has antimicrobial properties.
Sodium levulinate is the a sodium salt of Levulinic Acid. Oncedissolved in an aqueous solution, the two ingredients become identical. It is usually derived from renewable plant sources like corn starch or sugarcane.
In skincare, it mostly acts as a skin conditioning agent that keeps skin soft and hydrated. It also acts as a preservative booster by inhibiting the growth of mold, yeast, and bacteria.
It's often paired with Sodium Anisate as the two create a broad-spectrum preservative system that is popular in "natural" formulations.
This ingredient is water-soluble.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be non-irritated and there are no restrictions for use in EU cosmetics. The FDA also allows this ingredient to be used as a food-grade flavoring agent.
Learn more about Sodium LevulinateTocopherol 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
