What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Ganoderma Lucidum Extract
Skin Protecting
Melatonin
Antioxidant
Inonotus Obliquus Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glucose
Humectant
Sorbityl Laurate
Emulsifying
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Behenyl Alcohol, Squalane, Coconut Alkanes, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Ganoderma Lucidum Extract, Melatonin, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Glycerin, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glucose, Sorbityl Laurate, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Inonotus Obliquus Extract
Skin ConditioningMelatonin
Antioxidant
Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Extract
RefreshingJasminum Officinale Flower Extract
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Rose Extract
Skin ConditioningPaeonia Officinalis Flower Extract
TonicPrunus Serrulata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningSambucus Nigra Flower Extract
RefreshingRosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cetyl Esters, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Inonotus Obliquus Extract, Melatonin, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Extract, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Rose Extract, Paeonia Officinalis Flower Extract, Prunus Serrulata Flower Extract, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Tocopherol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Sclerotium Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is created from fatty coconut alcohol, caprylic acid, and capric acid.
It is a lightweight emollient. Emollients create a thin barrier on the skin to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin hydrated and soft.
Once applied, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is absorbed quickly and leaves a silky feel.
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coco-Caprylate/CaprateDimethyl Isosorbide is a low-irritation solvent that helps deliver actives into your skin. It is created from glucose.
Research shows how well this ingredient works depends on the active and formulation rather than the concentration alone. This means adding more Dimethyl Isosorbide does not guarantee better penetration of ingredients into the skin.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 OilThis ingredient is a retinoid. It usually goes by a more common name: "Granactive".
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate (HPR) belongs to the class of retinoids that also includes retinol and tretinoin.
Retinoids have been proven to:
So what is the difference between all the retinoids?
Most retinoids need to go through a conversion line to become effective on skin. The ending product is retinoic acid. Retinoic acid is AKA tretinoin.
HPR is an ester of tretinoin. Emerging studies suggest HPR to have an added benefit that other retinoids don't have: Low irritation.
A study from 2021 found HPR to have the greatest stability when exposed to light and temperature out of all the commercial retinoids.
A note about naming:
The name "Granactive" is the trade name and the name most commonly used on packages.
Granactive is the name of the mixture - about 90% solvent and 10% HPR. A product with 5% granactive has 0.5% HPR.
Learn more about Hydroxypinacolone RetinoateThis ingredient is also known as the chaga mushroom. It is a fungus that grows on birch trees.
Melatonin is an antioxidant.
Phenoxyethanol 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.
Water. 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
