What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Coconut Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cera Alba
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Laureth-23
Cleansing
Ceteareth-20
CleansingParfum
Masking
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCeteareth-12
EmulsifyingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPersea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Cera Alba, 1,2-Hexanediol, Laureth-23, Ceteareth-20, Parfum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ceteareth-12, Cetearyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Triisostearin
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate
Emulsifying
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCopper PCA
HumectantZinc PCA
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPersea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C10-18 Triglycerides, Panthenol, Glycerin, Triisostearin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Allantoin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Copper PCA, Zinc PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Citric Acid
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
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 TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 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 ExtractSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
