What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethyl Sulfone
SolventCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Glycerin
Humectant
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Germ Oil
Emollient
Decyl Oleate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Dibehenate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Rosa Canina Seed Oil
Emollient
Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Whey Protein
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Oil
Perfuming
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTribehenin
Emollient
Glyceryl Behenate
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Lecithin
Emollient
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Water, Dimethyl Sulfone, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Glycerin, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sorbitan Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Oryza Sativa Germ Oil, Decyl Oleate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Dibehenate, Niacinamide, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Tocopherol, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Whey Protein, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Vitis Vinifera Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Xanthan Gum, Tribehenin, Glyceryl Behenate, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Lecithin, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool, Citral
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Prunus Persica Kernel Oil
Emollient
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyacrylamide
Lecithin
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Glycogen
HumectantChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Shorea Stenoptera Seed Butter, Glycerin, Prunus Persica Kernel Oil, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Lecithin, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycogen, Chlorphenesin, Laureth-7, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinHelianthus 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 OilLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol 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
