What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantStearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Arginine
Masking
Ceramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Soluble Collagen
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Polyquaternium-7
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tetrasodium EDTA
Ethylparaben
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, PEG-8, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Arginine, Ceramide Ng, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Soluble Collagen, Palmitic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycol Distearate, Polyquaternium-7, Glyceryl Stearate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningPotassium Myristate
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Potassium Stearate
CleansingPotassium Laurate
EmulsifyingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-22
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantEclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningOriganum Vulgare Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSalix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Disodium EDTA
Sodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract
Masking
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract
Skin ConditioningScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Xylitol
Humectant
Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract
EmollientLavandula Angustifolia Extract
Skin Conditioning
Foeniculum Vulgare Fruit Extract
EmollientAnthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialOcimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract
TonicHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Thymus Vulgaris Extract
Perfuming
Buddleja Davidii Extract
Skin ConditioningFicus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Plankton Extract
Skin ConditioningArginine Ferulate
Skin ConditioningWater, Potassium Myristate, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Myristic Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Laurate, Palmitic Acid, Lauric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Olivate, Polyquaternium-22, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Fructooligosaccharides, Xylitylglucoside, Beta-Glucan, Anhydroxylitol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Xylitol, Althaea Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare Fruit Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Glucose, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Gluconolactone, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Buddleja Davidii Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Extract, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Maltodextrin, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Ceramide NP, Plankton Extract, Arginine Ferulate
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 StearateHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid (HA) that is broken down into lower molecular weight fragments.
It's a humectant that pulls and holds water in the skin to help with hydration, plumpness, and reduce transepidermal water loss.
Because hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid is smaller in size, it can slip past your outermost layer of skin more easily than full-sized HA.
Most formulations will combine all sizes to get the best of both worlds.
Typical usage levels range from 0.01-1%. Any percentage higher than 2% might become goopy and tacky.
Learn more about Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources. In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
