What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Bentonite
Absorbent
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, C10-18 Triglycerides, Sucrose Stearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Persea Gratissima Oil, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Bentonite, Glyceryl Caprylate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Sucrose Distearate
Emollient
Dextrin
AbsorbentHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Prunus Domestica Seed Extract
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Candelilla Cera
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlucose
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Sucrose Distearate, Dextrin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Prunus Domestica Seed Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Candelilla Cera, Squalane, Sucrose Stearate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Xanthan Gum, Glucose, Sorbitol, 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.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that 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. Just 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.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideGlycerin (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 CaprylateThis ingredient is the small fraction of sunflower seed oil (~1.5-2% of the whole oil) that cannot be turned into soap.
This concentrated fraction is rich in skin-nourishing compounds like free fatty acids, tocopherols, and phytosterols. Linoleic acid makes up about 48-74% of its composition.
Unsaponifiables have high antioxidant potential due to the tocopherols, carotenoids, and phenolic acids that help protect skin from free radical damage. On the other hand, linoleic acid supports the skin's barrier by replenishing ceramides and reducing transepidermal water loss.
A manufacturer-sponsored clinical study found that a cream with 2% of this ingredient increased skin moisturization by 48.6% after 1 hour and 34.2% after 24 hours.
Using this cream twice-daily for 4 weeks showed meaningful improvement in dryness, roughness, and desquamation (the shedding of dead skin cells).
Keep in mind this is a small, industry-funded study so it'd be great to see independent replication. However, the mechanism is consistent with well-establish linoleic and phytosterol research.
While this ingredient is generally considered safe, those with an Asteraceae/Compositae plant allergy should patch test this ingredient.
Fungal acne: this ingredient is not considered safe for fungal acne because the Malassezia yeast preferentially metabolizes in the C11-24 range. Linoleic acid falls into this range at C18.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil UnsaponifiablesSucrose Stearate is derived from stearic acid and sucrose (sugar). It is an emollient and emulsifier.
As an emulsifier, it prevents oils and water from separating in a product. This property also makes it a surfactant and therefore a cleansing agent.
Water. 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
