What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Kojic Acid
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Alpha-Arbutin, Propanediol, Kojic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citric Acid
Cocos Nucifera Water
Masking
Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Dioscorea Villosa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Carrot Extract
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Alginate
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Salicylate
Preservative
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Water, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Panthenol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycine Soja Oil, Dioscorea Villosa Root Extract, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Carrot Extract, Stearic Acid, Potassium Alginate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Salicylate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is a lightweight ester created from coconut oil fatty acids, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
It is an emollient that helps soften skin and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). What sets it apart from heavier emollients is its ultralight, non-greasy feel.
Once applied, this ingredient dries down quickly and leaves a dry, silky finish behind. This also helps improve spreadability and texture.
This ingredient has an excellent safety-record and is non-irritating.
Typical concentrations for cosmetics range from 0.5-62%.
Research on Malassezia growth found no growth on fatty acid esters with chain lengths shorter than 12 carbons (it prefers C11-24).
Since Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is built on C8 and C10 fatty acids, it is out of the range that Malassezia metabolizes, and therefore safe for fungal acne.
Learn more about Coco-Caprylate/CaprateGlycerin (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 StearateTocopherol 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
