What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Oleate Citrate
Emulsifying
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Fructose
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Pea Protein
EmollientSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Cellulose
Absorbent
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract
Skin Conditioning
Water, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Fructose, Glucose, Inulin, Oligopeptide-1, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Sodium Gluconate, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cellulose, Cellulose Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Potassium Sorbate, Parfum, Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAcetyl Tributyl Citrate
Masking
Methylglucoside Phosphate
Skin ConditioningCopper Lysinate/Prolinate
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingPichia/Resveratrol Ferment Extract
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-38
Skin Conditioning
Phenyl T-Butylnitrone
Antioxidant
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Gluconate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Methylglucoside Phosphate, Copper Lysinate/Prolinate, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Pichia/Resveratrol Ferment Extract, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Phenyl T-Butylnitrone
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis is the synthetic salt of gluconic acid, a form of PHA and mild exfoliant.
It is mainly used to stabilize oil and butter formulations from going bad. Sodium gluconate is a humectant, pH regulator, and chelating agent.
Chelating agents help neutralize unwanted metals from affecting the formulation.
Sodium gluconate is water-soluble.
Learn more about Sodium GluconateWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
