What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantSea Water
HumectantNiacinamide
Smoothing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-2 Stearate
EmulsifyingSqualane
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPanax Ginseng Root Extract
EmollientPancratium Maritimum Extract
BleachingUndaria Pinnatifida Extract
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Japonica Extract
Skin ProtectingHizikia Fusiforme Extract
Skin ConditioningGelidium Cartilagineum Extract
Skin ProtectingMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantCentella Asiatica Leaf Water, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Sea Water, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Ceramide NP, Carbomer, Arginine, Caprylyl Glycol, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Pancratium Maritimum Extract, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Hizikia Fusiforme Extract, Gelidium Cartilagineum Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingButylene Glycol
HumectantLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningTaraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningCeramide EOP
Skin ConditioningCeramide Ns
Skin ConditioningCeramide As
Skin ConditioningCeramide AP
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin ConditioningBoswellia Serrata Resin Extract
SmoothingGlucose
HumectantCholesterol
EmollientArachidyl Alcohol
EmollientArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingArginine
MaskingGlycereth-25 PCA Isostearate
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientEuphorbia Cerifera Wax
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingStearic Acid
CleansingTrideceth-10
CleansingDisodium EDTA
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Taraxacum Officinale Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide As, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract, Glucose, Cholesterol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Arginine, Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Stearic Acid, Trideceth-10, Disodium EDTA, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineButylene 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 GlycolThis ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. 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. Be sure to 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.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPCetearyl 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.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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