What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Cystoseira Humilis Extract
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Bentonite
Absorbent
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Sorbitan Palmitate
Emulsifying
Cellulose
Absorbent
Coffea Arabica Seedcake Extract
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Fucus Vesiculosus Extract
Emollient
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Sh-Polypeptide-121
Skin Conditioning
Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Decapeptide-52
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAvena Sativa Peptide
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Sorbitan Olivate, Squalane, Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cystoseira Humilis Extract, Panthenol, Bentonite, Cetyl Palmitate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Sorbitan Palmitate, Cellulose, Coffea Arabica Seedcake Extract, Allantoin, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract, Gluconolactone, Niacinamide, Sh-Polypeptide-121, Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sorbic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ubiquinone, Lecithin, Decapeptide-52, Sodium Chloride, Maltodextrin, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Avena Sativa Peptide
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Triheptanoin
Skin ConditioningMethylpropanediol
SolventPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
C9-12 Alkane
SolventDilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer
Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract
Antioxidant
Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer
Steareth-20
CleansingAsparagopsis Armata Extract
Skin ProtectingCastor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Antimicrobial
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningN-Hydroxysuccinimide
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Chrysin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Nylon-12 Fluorescent Brightener 230 Salt, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Triheptanoin, Methylpropanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Polyacrylate, C9-12 Alkane, Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Steareth-20, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, N-Hydroxysuccinimide, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Chrysin, Sodium Hydroxide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
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 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 TriglycerideCaprylyl 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, 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
