What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningSafflower Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-4 Esters
Cleansing
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientSucrose Laurate
Emollient
Sambucus Nigra Seed Oil
Butyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Malpighia Glabra Fruit Juice
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Zymomonas Ferment Extract
HumectantMel
EmollientMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Water, Safflower Seed Oil Polyglyceryl-4 Esters, Sucrose Stearate, Sucrose Laurate, Sambucus Nigra Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Malpighia Glabra Fruit Juice, Tocopherol, Zymomonas Ferment Extract, Mel, Maltodextrin, Limonene, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral, Citronellol, Parfum
Glycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Sucrose Laurate
Emollient
Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientBixa Orellana Seed Oil
Emollient
Copaifera Officinalis Resin
MaskingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sucrose Palmitate
EmollientGlycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Water, Squalane, Sucrose Laurate, Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil, Sucrose Stearate, Bixa Orellana Seed Oil, Copaifera Officinalis Resin, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Sucrose Palmitate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/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 TriglycerideGlycerin (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 ingredient is also known as sweet almond oil. It is a lightweight, cold-pressed oil from the ripe seeds of the sweet almond tree.
Sweet almond oil is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids such as oleic acid (55-86%) and linolenic acid (7-35%).
As an emollient, it softens and hydrates skin by forming a thin barrier that locks in moisture.
Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the available safety data and concluded it is safe for topical use.
Because of the oleic acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis OilSucrose Laurate isn't fungal acne safe.
Sucrose Stearate is derived from stearic acid and sucrose (sugar). It is an emollient and emulsifier.
As an emulsifier, it prevents oils and water from separating in a product. This property also makes it a surfactant and therefore a cleansing agent.
Tocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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
