What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventRibes Nigrum Seed Oil
Emollient
Punica Granatum Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Oxycoccus Palustris Seed Oil
Antioxidant
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Bakuchiol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Ubiquinone, Tocopherol, Oxycoccus Palustris Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Rubus Laciniatus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCitrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil
Masking
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil
Masking
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Eriocephalus Punctulatus Oil
Masking
CI 61565
Cosmetic ColorantCI 60725
Cosmetic ColorantVitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Rubus Laciniatus Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Eriocephalus Punctulatus Oil, CI 61565, CI 60725
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Dimethyl 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.
Helianthus 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 is a botanical extract from the rosemary plant (the same one you cook with). In skincare, it mostly works as a skin conditioning agent.
Its activity comes from a handful of polyphenols, carnosic acid, carnosol, and rosmarinic acid. Almost 90% of the antioxidant activity of this ingredient can be attributed to canosol and carnosic acid.
These compounds protect your skin two ways:
1) They fight off free radicals, or the unstable molecules from things like sun and pollution that age and damage skin.
2) They help calm inflammation by switching off the chemical signals that tell skin to get red and irritated.
Lab studies also suggest that rosmarinic acid may help protect collagen and slow sugar-related damage to it.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has concluded rosemary-derived ingredients to be safe when formulated to be non-sensitizing.
Rosemary can occasionally cause allergic contact dermatitis (due to carnosol), so be sure to patch test if you have reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin.
Learn more about Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
