What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Sorbitol
Humectant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Persea Gratissima Cera
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingP-Anisic Acid
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Gluconolactone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Sorbitol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Persea Gratissima Cera, Persea Gratissima Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Parfum, Lecithin, Sodium Citrate, P-Anisic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Allantoin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Diisostearyl Malate
EmollientArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glucose
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Avena Sativa Meal Extract
SoothingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Oryza Sativa Germ Extract
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Astaxanthin
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Cyanocobalamin
Skin ConditioningSodium Citrate
BufferingCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Water, Glycerin, Decyl Glucoside, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Diisostearyl Malate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Glucose, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Avena Sativa Meal Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Oryza Sativa Germ Extract, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phytosphingosine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid, Maltodextrin, Cetyl Alcohol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Astaxanthin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Lactic Acid, Cyanocobalamin, Sodium Citrate, Caprylhydroxamic 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.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 StearateHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilSodium Citrate is the sodium salts of citric acid. In skincare, it is used to alter pH levels and acts as a preservative.
Its main functions are to maintain the pH of a product and neutralize metal ions.
The acidity of our skin is maintained by our glands and skin biome; normal pH level of skin is slightly acidic (~4.75-5.5).
Being slightly acidic allows our skin to create an "acid mantle". This acid mantle is a thin barrier that protects our skin from bacteria and contaminants.
Learn more about Sodium CitrateWater. 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
