What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientBetaine
HumectantButylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingBakuchiol
AntimicrobialSorbitan Stearate
EmulsifyingSqualane
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
SurfactantCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPalmitic Acid
EmollientTromethamine
BufferingStearic Acid
CleansingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Glyceryl Glucoside
HumectantMyristic Acid
CleansingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientSelaginella Lepidophylla Extract
EmollientAvena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin ConditioningBacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientLactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialLactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningBifida Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningBifida Ferment Lysate
Skin ConditioningStreptococcus Thermophilus Ferment
HumectantDisodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
HumectantPotassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
HumectantHyaluronic Acid
HumectantMonosodium Citrate
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSodium Acetylated Hyaluronate
HumectantParfum
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Betaine, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Bakuchiol, Sorbitan Stearate, Squalane, PEG-100 Stearate, Carbomer, Palmitic Acid, Tromethamine, Stearic Acid, Adenosine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Glucoside, Myristic Acid, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Bacillus Ferment, Caprylyl Glycol, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Streptococcus Thermophilus Ferment, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Monosodium Citrate, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
SmoothingAlpha-Arbutin
AntioxidantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningGlycereth-25 PCA Isostearate
EmulsifyingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Bakuchiol 0.2%
AntimicrobialPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
EmollientVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientCaffeine
Skin ConditioningSh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-1
Skin ConditioningSh-Oligopeptide-2
Skin ConditioningSh-Polypeptide-19
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientAcetyl Hexapeptide-8
HumectantBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicWater, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Alpha-Arbutin, Panthenol, Glycereth-25 PCA Isostearate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Bakuchiol 0.2%, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Adenosine, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Caffeine, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-19, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Biotin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Adenosine is in every living organism. It is one of four components in nucleic acids that helps store our DNA.
Adenosine has many benefits when used. These benefits include hydrating the skin, smoothing skin, and reducing wrinkles. Once applied, adenosine increases collagen production. It also helps with improving firmness and tissue repair.
Studies have found adenosine may also help with wound healing.
In skincare products, Adenosine is usually derived from yeast.
Learn more about AdenosineBakuchiol 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 BakuchiolCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinJojoba 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 OilWater. 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