What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Lecithin
Emollient
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
Squalene
Emollient
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycol Stearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Oleth-10 Carboxylic Acid
CleansingBHA
Antioxidant
Toluene
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningEDTA
Propylene Glycol, Urea, Lecithin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Carbomer, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Squalene, PEG-40 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Glycol Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Oleth-10 Carboxylic Acid, BHA, Toluene, Water, EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientOctyldodecyl Myristate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate
Emulsifying
Betaine
Humectant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmollientArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSilica
Abrasive
T-Butyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide
MaskingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Xylitol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Dicitrate/Stearate, Betaine, Bisabolol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Arachidyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Silica, T-Butyl Alcohol, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. 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. Be sure to 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.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateWater. 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
