What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Flower
MaskingGlycerin
Humectant
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Silica
Abrasive
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Citrus Limon Leaf Cell Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera
MaskingTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Argania Spinosa Shell Powder
Abrasive
Rosa Gallica Flower Powder
Skin ConditioningTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower, Glycerin, Coconut Alkanes, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Gluconolactone, Cetearyl Olivate, Silica, Sorbitan Olivate, Coco-Caprylate, Sodium Benzoate, Decyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Bicarbonate, Citrus Limon Leaf Cell Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Argania Spinosa Shell Powder, Rosa Gallica Flower Powder, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSilica
Abrasive
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Panax Quinquefolius Root Extract
AstringentVitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Withania Somnifera Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningStearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingPropylene Carbonate
SolventTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Propanediol
Solvent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Water, Coco-Caprylate, Glycerin, Persea Gratissima Oil, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sodium Chloride, Silica, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Panax Quinquefolius Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Evodia Rutaecarpa Fruit Extract, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Propanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Coco-Caprylate is created from fatty coconut alcohol and caprylic acid.
It is a lightweight emollient. Emollients create a thin barrier on the skin to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated and soft.
Once applied, Coco-Caprylate is absorbed quickly and leaves a silky feel. It may help solubilize other ingredients, or help other ingredients be dispersed evenly.
Coco-Caprylate may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coco-CaprylateGlycerin (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 GlycerinSilica, also known as silicon dioxide, is a naturally occurring mineral. It is used as a fine, spherical, and porous powder in cosmetics.
Though it has exfoliant properties, the function of silica varies depending on the product.
The unique structure of silica enhances the spreadability and adds smoothness, making it a great texture enhancer.
It is also used as an active carrier, emulsifier, and mattifier due to its ability to absorb excess oil.
In some products, tiny microneedles called spicules are made from silica or hydrolyzed sponge. When you rub them in, they lightly polish away dead skin layers and enhance the penetration of active ingredients.
Learn more about SilicaTocopherol 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 TocopherolThis ingredient is a combination of red, black, and yellow iron oxide pigments. This combination of colors is usually found in foundation, because it results in a "skin" color.
The EU typically uses CI numbers for colorants when applicable, such as CI 77489. In the US, iron oxides are regulated as color additives and "iron oxides" is the most commonly used name in US cosmetic practice.
A 2021 paper looked at skincare formulations containing iron oxides and found that they reduced transmission of blue light when measured optically. In simple terms, the pigment particles helped block or scatter part of the visible light spectrum in lab testing and the authors suggest this could translate into better protection against blue-light-related skin effects.
There is also clinical and experimental research showing that tinted products containing iron oxides can reduce visible light-induced pigmentation:
Please note, whether a product reduces visible or blue light depends on things like:
In the EU's CosIng database, iron oxides are only listed as a colorant. CosIng groups ingredients by their main cosmetic role, such as colorant, preservative, or UV filter.
Though studies say iron oxides can "attenuate blue light", they're describing an optical property and not an officially recognized cosmetic function.
So CosIng isn’t contradicting the research. It’s just classifying iron oxides by what they officially are: pigments that add color.
Learn more about Iron Oxides
