What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Urea
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Bacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dalea Spinosa Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Gellan Gum
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Sodium Phytate
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Coco-Caprylate, Urea, Glyceryl Stearate, Bacillus Ferment, Cetyl Alcohol, Dalea Spinosa Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Hexylresorcinol, Glycerin, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Gellan Gum, Ferulic Acid, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Sodium Phytate, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Copernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Pentaerythrityl Distearate
Emulsifying
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Polyacrylate-13
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate
Skin Conditioning
Polyisobutene
Parfum
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Dextrin
AbsorbentTheobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningBeta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Artemisia Vulgaris Extract
Skin Conditioning
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentPrunella Vulgaris Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningLonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningZanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTaraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGanoderma Lucidum Extract
Skin Protecting
Glucose
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sparassis Crispa Extract
Emulsion StabilisingWater, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Squalane, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, 1,2-Hexanediol, Stearic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Pentaerythrityl Distearate, Palmitic Acid, Polyacrylate-13, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Behenyl Alcohol, Caffeine, Cetearyl Glucoside, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Polyglyceryl-10 Pentastearate, Polyisobutene, Parfum, Propanediol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dextrin, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Beta-Glucan, Caprylyl Glycol, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Prunella Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Glucose, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Tocopherol, Sparassis Crispa Extract
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 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 is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTocopherol 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
