What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMacadamia Integrifolia/Tetraphylla Seed Oil
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientTheobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningAleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningPrinsepia Utilis Seed Oil
EmollientParfum
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPlukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin ConditioningMagnolia Officinalis Bark Extract
AntimicrobialTamarindus Indica Seed Polysaccharide
Skin ConditioningAcacia Senegal Gum
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
AntioxidantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantLactic Acid
BufferingSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingLinalool
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingBenzyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialLimonene
PerfumingEugenol
PerfumingCitral
PerfumingWater, Macadamia Integrifolia/Tetraphylla Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Prinsepia Utilis Seed Oil, Parfum, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Tamarindus Indica Seed Polysaccharide, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Eugenol, Citral
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Glucoside
CleansingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingCoco-Betaine
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingErythritol
HumectantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantArginine
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Extract
Skin ConditioningKaolin
AbrasiveIllite
AbrasiveCollagen
MoisturisingScenedesmus Rubescens Extract
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingSqualane
EmollientLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantCitric Acid
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingWater, Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Coco-Betaine, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Erythritol, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Kaolin, Illite, Collagen, Scenedesmus Rubescens Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Squalane, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Pentylene Glycol, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This 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 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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSodium 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 (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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