What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract
AntimicrobialCopernicia Cerifera Wax
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Gallic Acid
Antioxidant
Canola Oil
Emollient
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Geraniol
Perfuming
Benzyl Cinnamate
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Octyldodecanol, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Coconut Alkanes, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Parfum, Limonene, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Glyceryl Stearate, Gallic Acid, Canola Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Geraniol, Benzyl Cinnamate, Farnesol, Linalool, Citral, Citronellol
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Domestica Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantHydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Emollient
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Seed Oil
Emollient
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
CI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCoco-Caprylate/Caprate, Octyldodecanol, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Prunus Domestica Seed Oil, Mica, Hydrogenated Castor Oil/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, CI 77491, CI 77891
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/Caprate is a lightweight ester created from coconut oil fatty acids, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
It is an emollient that helps soften skin and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). What sets it apart from heavier emollients is its ultralight, non-greasy feel.
Once applied, this ingredient dries down quickly and leaves a dry, silky finish behind. This also helps improve spreadability and texture.
This ingredient has an excellent safety-record and is non-irritating.
Typical concentrations for cosmetics range from 0.5-62%.
Research on Malassezia growth found no growth on fatty acid esters with chain lengths shorter than 12 carbons (it prefers C11-24).
Since Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is built on C8 and C10 fatty acids, it is out of the range that Malassezia metabolizes, and therefore safe for fungal acne.
Learn more about Coco-Caprylate/CaprateHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil is a lightweight oil from the seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree. In cosmetics, it's an emollient that forms a light film to slow water loss and soften skin.
Its fatty acid composition is dominated by oleic acid (70-78%), with smaller amounts of behenic, palmitic, and stearic acids (this profile is actually pretty similar to olive oil).
Notably, this ingredient is oxidatively stable for an oil and resists going rancid as fast as other oils.
A small, in vivo study on 32 participants found a cream with this ingredient increased skin hydration with no reported skin irritation. It also found the tocopherol content gave it some antioxidant activity as well.
One thing to flag for fungal acne:
Because this oil is so high in oleic acid, Malassezia can use it as a food source and this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
For everyone else, this ingredient is well-tolerated and nourishing with a good safety track record.
Learn more about Moringa Oleifera Seed OilOctyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol sourced from plant oils like coconut or palm (or made synthetically).
It is:
You'll likely see this in many BHA products because this is the go-to solvent for salicylic acid.
This ingredient is typically used at levels between 2-20%.
Regarding fungal acne:
In 2019, this ingredient was tested against multiple Malassezia species (the yeast that causes fungal acne) and showed no growth.
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil is the cold-pressed oil from sesame seeds.
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent made up of roughly 82-85% unsaturated fatty acids, mostly linoleic (~41%) and oleic acid (~39%).
This pairing gives it barrier-supporting and moisturizing properties. Linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid, can be incorporated into complex skin lipids. Topical application has shown barrier repair, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing effects in cell and animal studies.
Beyond fatty acids, sesame oil brings something more distinctive to the table:
It contains natural antioxidants sesamol, sesamolin, and gamma-tocopherol. These also give the oil notably high oxidative stability.
One of the oil's key lignans, sesamin, has also demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in preclinical models.
A 2023 clinical study found that a single application of sesame seed oil to the forearms of 35 healthy women improved stratum corneum hydration (though it didn't outperform raspberry seed oil).
The comedogenic rating of 1-3 depends on the type of sesame oil; unrefined carries a rating of 3 while refined sesame oil drops to a 1.
This ingredient may not be safe for fungal acne as it contains fatty acids that can feed Malassezia.
Learn more about Sesamum Indicum 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 Tocopherol
