What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantOctyldodecanol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Undecane
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Tridecane
Perfuming
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Galactoarabinan
Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Arnica Montana Flower Extract
Masking
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Dunaliella Salina Extract
Skin ConditioningFoeniculum Vulgare Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract
AntimicrobialSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Mica, Octyldodecanol, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Undecane, Glycerin, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Tridecane, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Galactoarabinan, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Caffeine, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare Oil, Glyceryl Oleate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Panthenol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Squalane, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater
Skin ConditioningUndecane
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
CI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantTridecane
Perfuming
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Hexyl Laurate
Emollient
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientMagnesium Sulfate
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingDisodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSilica Silylate
Emollient
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Trihydroxystearin
Skin Conditioning
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantAcetylated Glycol Stearate
Emollient
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Paullinia Cupana Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lactate
Buffering
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
CI 77891, Water, Undecane, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, CI 77492, Tridecane, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Hexyl Laurate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Magnesium Sulfate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Octyldodecanol, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Silica Silylate, Cellulose Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 77491, Phenoxyethanol, Trihydroxystearin, Aluminum Hydroxide, CI 77499, Acetylated Glycol Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Paullinia Cupana Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, Polysorbate 20, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
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 GlycerinOctyldodecanol 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.
Polyhydroxystearic Acid is a vegetable-derived soft wax made from castor oil. It's an emulsion stabilizer, thickener, and film former.
You'll likely see it in sunscreens because it helps disperse pigments and UV-reflecting minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide evenly.
Depending on the concentration, it can drastically change the texture of a product from pasty solid (like lipstick) to sprayable liquid.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics. The highest reported use concentration is 14.2% in lipsticks.
Learn more about Polyhydroxystearic AcidTocopherol 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 TocopherolTridecane is a lightweight emollient and fragrancing ingredient. It is a paraffin and often called a silicone alternative.
According to official INCI guidelines, this ingredient is used to give a light odor to raw materials. It is often used as a starter ingredient to create parfum.
This ingredient can be derived from palm oil, or coconut oil. It is also naturally found in certain species of organisms.
According to the NOAA, this ingredient can cause skin sensitivity with prolonged use. However, this warning is taken from the Coast Guard and no studies have been done on this in relation to cosmetics.
Tridecane is not water soluble.
Learn more about TridecaneUndecane is an emollient and helps create a lightweight base for products.
Is is not soluble in water and naturally occurring in some species.
Water. 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
