What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventOctyldodecanol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningSucrose Stearate
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientC15-19 Alkane
SolventSqualane
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientCera Alba
EmollientXylitylglucoside
HumectantAnhydroxylitol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantHoney Extract
HumectantXylitol
HumectantBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion StabilisingMyristyl Myristate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingButylene Glycol
HumectantTocopherol
AntioxidantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Phytate
Squalene
EmollientCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingLithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningWater, Propanediol, Octyldodecanol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sucrose Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, C15-19 Alkane, Squalane, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Cera Alba, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Honey Extract, Xylitol, Beta-Sitosterol, Myristyl Myristate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenethyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Phytate, Squalene, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polysorbate 20, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantDicaprylyl Ether
EmollientPropylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientGlycol Palmitate
EmulsifyingSqualane
EmollientSucrose Stearate
EmollientMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCarnosine
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMannitol
HumectantXylitol
HumectantTocopherol
AntioxidantSalvia Miltiorrhiza Flower/Leaf/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningRhamnose
HumectantGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycol Palmitate, Squalane, Sucrose Stearate, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Carnosine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Mannitol, Xylitol, Tocopherol, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Flower/Leaf/Root Extract, Rhamnose, Glycine Soja Oil, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken, emulsify, and improve the texture of products.
As an emulsifier, it helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions to give products an elegant feel when applied.
It can also form a thin protective film on skin. One study found that a formula using this polymer helped slow down how quickly other ingredients (like DEET) were absorbed through skin.
A 2024 study of over 1,300 patients confirmed that sensitization to this ingredient is rare. It is also non-mutagenic and has a clean track record.
Learn more about Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneSucrose Stearate is derived from stearic acid and sucrose (sugar). It is an emollient and emulsifier.
As an emulsifier, it prevents oils and water from separating in a product. This property also makes it a surfactant and therefore a cleansing agent.
Tocopherol 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol