What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientDiethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone
UV Absorber
Glycerin
Humectant
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
Emulsifying1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingC20-22 Alcohols
Emulsion Stabilising
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingArginine
Masking
Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone, Glycerin, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, 1,2-Hexanediol, C20-22 Alkyl Phosphate, C20-22 Alcohols, Glyceryl Caprylate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Tocopherol, Caprylyl Glycol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Arginine, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol Dicaprylate
EmollientC10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Triisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientHydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Water, Propanediol Dicaprylate, C10-18 Triglycerides, Glycerin, Triisostearin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine
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
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 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 CaprylatePersea Gratissima Fruit Extract comes from the avocado.
Avocados are rich in fatty acids. About 67% of these fatty acids is made up of oleic acid. Palmitic acid and linoleic acid are also present.
Besides fatty acids, avocados also have B vitamins, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima Fruit ExtractTocopherol 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 Water
