What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientInulin
Skin ConditioningOctyldodecanol
EmollientSqualane
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningTriolein
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Dioleate
EmollientPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin ConditioningRose Flower Oil/Extract
Xylitylglucoside
HumectantXylitol
HumectantAnhydroxylitol
HumectantFructose
HumectantSodium Acrylates Copolymer
Lecithin
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Lactate
BufferingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantO-Cymen-5-Ol
AntimicrobialCitric Acid
BufferingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Pentylene Glycol, Panthenol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Inulin, Octyldodecanol, Squalane, Ceramide NP, Triolein, Glyceryl Dioleate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Rose Flower Oil/Extract, Xylitylglucoside, Xylitol, Anhydroxylitol, Fructose, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Lactate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydroxyacetophenone, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientShea Butter Glycerides
EmulsifyingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientNiacinamide
SmoothingCetearyl Olivate
Cetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingPalmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin ConditioningSclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
HumectantCaryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil
EmollientLimnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantLinoleic Acid
CleansingLinolenic Acid
CleansingPropanediol
SolventPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Caprylyl Glycol
EmollientT-Butyl Alcohol
PerfumingOleic Acid
EmollientPalmitic Acid
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingWater, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Shea Butter Glycerides, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Niacinamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Caryodendron Orinocense Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Propanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, T-Butyl Alcohol, Oleic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid
Reviews
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 ingredientās 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 GlycerinPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 (formerly Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3) is a synthetic peptide. Its main job is to fight what researchers call "inflammaging".
"Inflammaging" is the slow, low-grade chronic inflammation that quietly breaks down collagen as we age.
This ingredient calms down a specific inflammation signal in your skin cells (called IL-6). When left unchecked, this signal triggers enzymes that break down collagen and elastin.
Clinical testing showed statistically significant improvements in:
Studies also found the more of this ingredient used, the more your skin produces Collagen I, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
You'll likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex for enhanced anti-aging effects.
A 3% concentration applied twice daily for two months showed meaningful skin rejuvenation results in clinical panels.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.
That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.
Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.
Human clinical data is promising, but modest:
A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.
A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.
You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
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 Water