What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil
Emollient
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Sorbitol
Humectant
Azelaic Acid
Buffering
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Tsuga Canadensis Leaf Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Sorbitan Oleate, Sorbitol, Azelaic Acid, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Tsuga Canadensis Leaf Oil, Glycine Soja Protein, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Oil
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sorbitol
Humectant
Sorbitan Oleate
Emulsifying
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingMyroxylon Pereirae Oil
Masking
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Glucosamine Hcl
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil, Water, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sorbitol, Sorbitan Oleate, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glycine Soja Protein, Myroxylon Pereirae Oil, Fructooligosaccharides, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Glucosamine Hcl, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Alcohol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil comes from the seeds of the safflower plant. It is a skin conditioning agent that helps soften skin and keep it hydrated.
This seed oil has an unusual fatty acid profile: it is one of the highest linoleic acid plant oils out there (~55-77%). It also has low amounts of oleic acid, and this high-linoleic/low-oleic ratio gets people excited.
Linoleic acid helps maintain skin barrier integrity and is a building block for the ceramides in your stratum corneum. Notably, people with acne tend to have lower linoleic acid in their skin lipids as well (and this gets worse as acne gets more severe).
Overall, it's a lightweight, fast-absorbing oil that has a long safety track record. Lab testing has found it to be non-irritating for skin or eyes.
The Malassezia yeast can metabolize the fatty acids in this oil to grow; therefore this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Carthamus Tinctorius Seed OilThis ingredient is also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.
The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.
A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.
Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.
It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.
Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.
Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.
Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".
Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).
The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.
Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).
Learn more about Cocos Nucifera OilPalm kernel oil comes from the African oil palm fruit's outer pulp (different from palm oil). It is an emollient that creates a thin film on skin to smooth roughness and lock in moisture.
This oil has a fatty acid profile of mostly lauric (~42%), stearic, and oleic acid.
Overall, this ingredient works well for dry skin but it might be too heavy for oily or acne-prone skin.
Because it is rich in lauric acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe.
Learn more about Elaeis Guineensis Kernel OilGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlycine Soja Protein comes from the soybean. It is an emulsifer and helps to condition skin. Emulsifiers prevent ingredients from separating, such as water and oils.
Learn more about Glycine Soja Oil.
This ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.
The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.
In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:
Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.
Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.
Learn more about Ricinus Communis Seed OilSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideSorbitan Oleate is a PEG-free emulsifier made by esterifying sorbitol with oleic acid.
You'll likely see it paired with Polysorbate 80 to create the right emulsification balance.
Typical use levels in formulas range from 2-10%.
The CIR Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as a cosmetic ingredient.
Since this ingredient is an ester of oleic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. Oleic acid is a fatty acid that falls into the C11-24 range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Sorbitan OleateSorbitol is a sugar alcohol. It is a hydrating and moisturizing agent created from the reduction process of glucose.
Most sorbitol is usually made from potato starch. It is also found in fruits such as apples and pears.
As a humectant, Sorbitol helps draw water to the skin. This helps keep the skin hydrated. Sorbitol also helps create a thicker texture in products. You might find sorbitol in your toothpaste and other gels.
It is a non-irritating ingredient that is great for those with dry skin.
Sorbitol is a prebiotic. It helps promote the growth of healthy bacteria on your skin. The bacteria on your skin form a microbiome. This microbiome helps protect your skin from infection and harmful bacteria.
Learn more about SorbitolWater. 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
