What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Antioxidant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Citrate
BufferingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Behenic Acid, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Saccharide Isomerate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Citrate, Maltodextrin, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Lactococcus Ferment Extract
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus
Skin ConditioningTriolein
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAmylopectin
Calcium Lactate
AstringentTocopherol
Antioxidant
Vegetable Oil
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 60730
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15985
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Dimethicone, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Allantoin, Pentylene Glycol, Lactococcus Ferment Extract, Lactobacillus, Triolein, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Amylopectin, Calcium Lactate, Tocopherol, Vegetable Oil, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, CI 60730, CI 15985
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is a lightweight ester created from coconut oil fatty acids, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
It is an emollient that helps soften skin and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). What sets it apart from heavier emollients is its ultralight, non-greasy feel.
Once applied, this ingredient dries down quickly and leaves a dry, silky finish behind. This also helps improve spreadability and texture.
This ingredient has an excellent safety-record and is non-irritating.
Typical concentrations for cosmetics range from 0.5-62%.
Research on Malassezia growth found no growth on fatty acid esters with chain lengths shorter than 12 carbons (it prefers C11-24).
Since Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is built on C8 and C10 fatty acids, it is out of the range that Malassezia metabolizes, and therefore safe for fungal acne.
Learn more about Coco-Caprylate/CaprateDicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol 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 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
