What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingMyristyl Myristate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Glycerin, Squalane, Dimethicone, Zea Mays Starch, Niacinamide, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Myristyl Myristate, Stearic Acid, Ceramide NP, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sodium Hydroxide, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Capryloyl Glycine, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil
Astringent
Citral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Squalane
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Hordeum Vulgare Extract
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Trehalose
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Butylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Squalane, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Sodium PCA, Caffeine, Tocopheryl Acetate, Linoleic Acid, Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Trehalose, Carbomer, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
