What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ceteareth-22
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Oleyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBHA
Antioxidant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Zanthoxylum Bungeanum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-22, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Oleyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, BHA, Tetrasodium EDTA, Zanthoxylum Bungeanum Fruit Extract, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBalanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Coconut Alcohol
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Phenoxyethanol, Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract, Balanites Aegyptiaca Fruit Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Benzyl Alcohol, Coconut Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroacetic Acid, Limonene, Linalool, Citral
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 TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideStearic 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 AcidWater. 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
