What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Propylene Glycol Dicaprate
EmollientDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPalmitamide DEA
Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Macrogol Stearate Type I
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
C30-45 Alkyl Cetearyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emollient
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Glycerin, Isononyl Isononanoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Propylene Glycol Dicaprate, Dipropylene Glycol, Palmitamide DEA, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, Macrogol Stearate Type I, Cetyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Squalane, Chlorphenesin, C30-45 Alkyl Cetearyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Retinyl Palmitate, Polysorbate 60, Propylene Glycol, Parfum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Carnosine, Tocopherol, Laminaria Digitata Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Neoruscogenin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Ruscogenin
Skin ConditioningDisodium Adenosine Triphosphate
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingLaminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Carnosine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Propylene Glycol, Adenosine, Neoruscogenin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ruscogenin, Disodium Adenosine Triphosphate, Hexylene Glycol, Laminaria Digitata Extract
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carnosine is a dipeptide made from two amino acids.
This ingredient helps:
Glycation is the process of sugars binding to and damaging proteins. Too much sugar in our skin can lead to damaged collagen, contributing to factors of aging.
Carnosine is water-soluble and is not able to travel deeper layers of skin. This leads to some doubt about whether it can boost collagen in skin, since collagen is located in the deeper layers of skin.
Fun fact: Carnosine can be naturally found in our muscles and brain.
Learn more about CarnosineGlycerin (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 GlycerinLaminaria Digitata Extract comes from the dark brown seaweed, Laminaria Digitata. It is a potent antioxidant, which also provides soothing and hydrating benefits.
Many studies show the antioxidant components of Laminaria Digitata to help with anti-inflammation.
This ingredient is rich in amino acids, proteins, sugars, and vitamins. Small amounts of minerals such as phosphorous, iron, potassium, and copper are also found the seaweed.
These components help hydrate and nourish your skin's natural barrier. Having a healthy skin barrier leads to more youthful looking skin and may help reduce the signs of aging.
Laminaria Digitata is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean.
What's the difference between algae and seaweed?
Algae is a broad term that includes seaweed. Not all algae is seaweed.
Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolSorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer and cleaning agent. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, Sorbitan Isostearate prevents oils and water from separating.
Due to its isostearic acid base, it may not be safe for Malassezia or fungal acne.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateSqualane 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 Squalane
