What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Squalane
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hexylresorcinol
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Aristotelia Chilensis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAcer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningNannochloropsis Oculata Extract
HumectantAgastache Mexicana Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Dipeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Oligopeptide-68
Bleaching
Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingDiglucosyl Gallic Acid
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ethyl Linoleate
Emollient
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPullulan
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingDimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Phytate
Sodium Oleate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Hydroxyproline
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Hydroxyproline
EmollientCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Acetate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Propanediol, Squalane, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Hexylresorcinol, Butylene Glycol, Hyaluronic Acid, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Aristotelia Chilensis Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract, Agastache Mexicana Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Dipeptide-2, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Oligopeptide-68, Nicotiana Benthamiana Hexapeptide-40 Sh-Polypeptide-76, Bisabolol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethyl Linoleate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Pullulan, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Dimethicone, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyproline, Acetyl Hydroxyproline, Citric Acid, Sodium Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Hexylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Arctium Lappa Seed Oil
Emollient
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Pinus Strobus Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningSalvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Emollient
Disodium S-Phytyl Diglycoloylcysteine
Skin ProtectingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Steareth-20
CleansingSodium Phytate
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Squalane, Propanediol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Arctium Lappa Seed Oil, Triethyl Citrate, Pinus Strobus Bark Extract, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Disodium S-Phytyl Diglycoloylcysteine, Tocopherol, Ferulic Acid, Maltodextrin, Stearyl Alcohol, Steareth-20, Sodium Phytate, Carbomer, Potassium Hydroxide
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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
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 SqualaneStearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholWater. 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
