What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Chrysanthemum Indicum Callus Culture Extract
Antioxidant
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Myristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polysorbate 60, Glyceryl Stearate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Chrysanthemum Indicum Callus Culture Extract, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Betaine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Allantoin, Myristyl Alcohol, Cellulose Gum, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Parfum
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 TriglycerideGlycerin (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 GlycerinMyristyl Alcohol is type of fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
As an emollient, myristyl alcohol hydrates the skin by trapping moisture in.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent alcohols.
The FDA allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Myristyl AlcoholSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
