What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Glyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Cera
Skin ConditioningRhus Verniciflua Peel Cera
EmollientSilica
Abrasive
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Biosaccharide Gum-2
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Behenate, Glyceryl Stearate, Oryza Sativa Cera, Rhus Verniciflua Peel Cera, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Water, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Panthenol, Parfum, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Biosaccharide Gum-2, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientPolyethylene
Abrasive
Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
10-Hydroxydecenoic Acid
Skin ConditioningDisteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingGlyceryl Linoleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Linolenate
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Glyceryl Palmitate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningRicinus Communis Seed Oil, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Polyethylene, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Beeswax, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, 10-Hydroxydecenoic Acid, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Glyceryl Linoleate, Glyceryl Linolenate, Glyceryl Oleate, Glyceryl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycine Soja Oil, Isopropyl Myristate, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateThis ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.
The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.
In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:
Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.
Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.
Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed OilTocopherol 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 TocopherolTocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.
Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.
It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.
One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.
Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.
Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.
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.
Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.
The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.
Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
