What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate
Emulsifying
Isoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Artemisia Vulgaris Oil
Perfuming
Salvia Officinalis Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water
Masking
Artemisia Vulgaris Extract
Skin Conditioning
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Olibanum
MaskingGlycine Soja Oil, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Isoamyl Laurate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Artemisia Vulgaris Oil, Salvia Officinalis Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Tocopherol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Olibanum
Reviews
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 TriglycerideLavandula Angustifolia Oil is more commonly known as lavender essential oil. It is considered a fragrancing ingredient.
Lavender imparts a famous scent. While the smell is lovely, this ingredient and may sensitize skin in topical products. This is because about 85% of the oil is made up of linalool and linalyl acetate.
When exposed to air, these two compounds become strong allergens. This ingredient exhibits cytotoxicity at low concentrations; amounts of 0.25% have been shown to damage skin cells.
A study from Japan found this ingredient caused lavender sensitivity after widespread exposure.
Lavender essential oil has some antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the cons of this ingredient may outweight the pros.
More research is needed to confirm lavender essential oil's effects when used in aromatherapy.
Lavandula Angustifolia is known as the English Lavender and famous for creating purple fields in Provence, France.
Learn more about Lavandula Angustifolia OilThis ingredient is also known as olive oil. It has been used in skincare for centuries and science largely backs up its reputation as a nourishing emollient.
The main components of olive oil are oleic acid (55-83%), linoleic acid (3.5-20%), and palmitic acid (7-20%). Oleic acid promotes skin regeneration and helps regulate inflammatory responses.
Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.
Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.
It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).
Because it has a 2-3 on the comedogenic scale, it is a moderate risk for acne-prone skin. However, the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.
Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.
Learn more about Olea Europaea Fruit OilJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
