What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate
Emollient
PEG-40 Sorbitan Peroleate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialBacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Cera
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Grandis
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialZingiber Officinale Root Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantifolia Peel
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil
Perfuming
Salvia Sclarea Extract
AntiseborrhoeicMentha Piperita Leaf
RefreshingKaempferia Galanga Root Extract
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, PEG-40 Sorbitan Peroleate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Bacillus Ferment, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Cera, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Citrus Grandis, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Peel, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil, Salvia Sclarea Extract, Mentha Piperita Leaf, Kaempferia Galanga Root Extract, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tocopherol
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
PEG-40 Sorbitan Peroleate
Emulsifying
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialOryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
Emollient
Limonene
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientParfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-40 Sorbitan Peroleate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Limonene, Tocopherol, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Parfum, Linalool
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.
In cosmetics, it plays several roles:
The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.
This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.
It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.
Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.
Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.
Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.
The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).
In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.
So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.
Learn more about C12-15 Alkyl BenzoateCaprylic/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 TriglycerideCetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient ester. It comes from cetearyl alcohol and 2-ethylhexanoic acid.
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate is an emollient that adds a velvety feel to skin without being greasy or oily. Emollients help trap moisture into your skin, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
As an emollient, Dicaprylyl Carbonate creates a film on the skin. This film traps moisture in, keeping your skin soft and hydrated.
Helianthus Annuus Extract comes from the common sunflower.
Sunflowers are rich in vitamin E. Studies show sunflowers contain antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.
The fatty acids found in sunflowers include (from highest amount to least): linoleic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, oleic acid, and linolenic acid.
These fatty acids hydrate your skin. Emollients create a film on the skin to prevent moisture from escaping.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus ExtractOryza Sativa Bran Extract comes from the outer layer of a rice kernel. It is a byproduct of milling rice, or the operation to produce a whole grain rice product.
This ingredient has moisturizing properties due to its components of polysaccharides and omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains calcium, selenium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract contains numerous antioxidants such as ferulic acid. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material.
Learn more about Oryza Sativa Bran ExtractPEG-40 Sorbitan Peroleate isn't fungal acne safe.
This is a botanical extract from the rosemary plant (the same one you cook with). In skincare, it mostly works as a skin conditioning agent.
Its activity comes from a handful of polyphenols, carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. Almost 90% of the antioxidant activity of this ingredient can be attributed to canosol and carnosic acid.
These compounds protect your skin two ways:
1) They fight off free radicals, or the unstable molecules from things like sun and pollution that age and damage skin.
2) They help calm inflammation by switching off the chemical signals that tell skin to get red and irritated.
Lab studies also suggest that rosmarinic acid may help protect collagen and slow sugar-related damage to it.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing.
Rosemary can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis (due to carnosol), so be sure to patch test if you have reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin.
Learn more about Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf 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 Tocopherol
