What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tranexamic Acid
Astringent
Water
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Sorbitol
Humectant
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Chondrus Crispus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingAlpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tremella Fuciformis Extract
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Tromethamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Glutathione
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingUbiquinone
Antioxidant
Thioctic Acid
Antioxidant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Tranexamic Acid, Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbitol, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Alpha-Arbutin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Bisabolol, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Adenosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Allantoin, Glutathione, Ceramide NP, Beta-Glucan, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol, Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Tocopheryl Acetate, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Ubiquinone, Thioctic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Behenyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningAzelaic Acid
Buffering
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Squalane
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Chloride
MaskingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Antioxidant
Water, Azelaic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Cetearyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, Cetearyl Glucoside, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Chloride, Tocopherol, Propanediol, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Behenyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol (these are different from the drying, solvent alcohols).
Fatty Alcohols have hydrating properties and are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils; behenyl alcohol is derived from the fats of vegetable oils.
Emollients help keep your skin soft and hydrated by creating a film that traps moisture in.
In 2000, Behenyl Alcohol was approved by the US as medicine to reduce the duration of cold sores.
Learn more about Behenyl AlcoholCaprylic/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 GlycerinTocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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
