What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Propanediol
Solvent
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Squalane
Emollient
C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Sodium Palmitoyl Proline
Skin ConditioningNymphaea Alba Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethyl Ferulate
Antioxidant
Humulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialBakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Retinyl Sunflowerseedate
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Propanediol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, C14-22 Alcohols, Squalane, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Lecithin, Sodium Palmitoyl Proline, Nymphaea Alba Flower Extract, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Ethyl Ferulate, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Bakuchiol, Glycine Soja Oil, Retinol, Retinyl Sunflowerseedate, Xanthan Gum, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientRosa Canina Seed Oil
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Phytate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitrus Aurantium Amara Peel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Behenyl Alcohol, Bakuchiol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glyceryl Caprylate, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Phytate, Xanthan Gum, Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Aurantium Amara Peel Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived antioxidant from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant. It has antimicrobial, emollient, skin conditioning, and antioxidant properties.
You'll likely see it called a "retinol replacement" but the two are technically not related. This is because bakuchiol is able to flip many of the same switches in your skin cells to tell them to:
1) produce more collagen (type I, III, and IV)
2) activate the same genes retinoids do
Unlike retinoids, this ingredient will not increase photosensitivity and is safe to use during pregnancy (but please still check in with your doctor!).
The flagship clinical trial from Dhaliwal et al. 2019 found 0.5% bakuchiol (twice daily) and 0.5% retinol (once daily) reduced wrinkles and hyperpigmentation equally, but bakuchiol had significantly less irritation.
Systematic reviews also back this up:
Bakuchiol is comparable to retinol for photoaging but with better tolerability. It also has mild antibacterial properties against Cutibacterium acnes and antifungal activity in vitro against Candida and dermatophytes.
The reason bakuchiol works well is due to its structure; it is a meroterpene phenol, or a hybrid molecule. The phenol half acts as an antioxidant while the terpene half is fat-loving. This helps the molecule slip through the skin barrier.
This ingredient is usually used between 0.5-2%. Only one case of contact dermatitis has ever been reported for this ingredient.
Learn more about BakuchiolCaprylhydroxamic Acid is a chelating agent that helps cosmetics stay fresh, stable, and consistent over time.
Chelating agents help prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps prevent unwanted reactions and effects from using the product. It also helps prevent the growth of unwanted microbes in products that contain water.
Caprylhydroxamic Acid is often used with natural antimicrobial products as an alternative to preservatives.
Learn more about Caprylhydroxamic AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateTocopherol 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 TocopherolXanthan 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
