What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantHelianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Silica
Abrasive
Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate
Emulsifying
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1
Humectant
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Shorea Robusta Resin
TonicRhus Verniciflua Peel Wax
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTin Oxide
Abrasive
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Silica, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Sodium PCA, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Shorea Robusta Resin, Rhus Verniciflua Peel Wax, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tin Oxide, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Emulsifying
Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningVitis Vinifera Fruit Cell Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingIsomalt
HumectantLecithin
Emollient
Camellia Sinensis Extract
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Superoxide Dismutase
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Stearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Glycerin, Squalane, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Bakuchiol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Cell Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Isomalt, Lecithin, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Superoxide Dismutase, Allantoin, Tocopherol
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 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 StearateGlyceryl Stearate Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitrateStearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholTocopherol 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
