What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingCynanchum Atratum Extract
Skin ConditioningLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Arginine
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBis-Ethoxydiglycol Succinate
HumectantArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingGlucose
Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Betaine Salicylate
Antimicrobial
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Salvia Sclarea Oil
Masking
Water, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Isopentyldiol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Decyl Glucoside, Arachidyl Alcohol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycine Soja Protein, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Ceramide NP, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Arginine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Bis-Ethoxydiglycol Succinate, Arachidyl Glucoside, Glucose, Hydroxyacetophenone, Betaine Salicylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientCoconut Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters
Emollient
Ethyl Oleate
Emollient
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantCitrus Aurantium Amara Flower Water
MaskingPolyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Persica Leaf Extract
Emollient
Malt Juice
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Coconut Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters, Ethyl Oleate, Sorbitan Oleate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Dipropylene Glycol, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Water, Polyquaternium-51, Prunus Persica Leaf Extract, Malt Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben
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 GlycerinThis 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 OilSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol 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 Tocopherol
