What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Centella Asiatica Extract 50%
Cleansing
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingBehenic Acid
Cleansing
Betaine
Humectant
Tromethamine
BufferingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment
AntimicrobialCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Germ Oil
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Tremella Fuciformis Extract
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract
Antioxidant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Arachidic Acid
Cleansing
Centella Asiatica Extract 50%, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Behenic Acid, Betaine, Tromethamine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment, Caprylyl Glycol, Oryza Sativa Germ Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract, Beta-Glucan, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Carbomer, Adenosine, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide NP, Madecassic Acid, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isododecane
EmollientIsodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polymethyl Methacrylate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Algin
Masking
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
BHT
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol Linseedate
AntimicrobialCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Parfum
Masking
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPapain
Skin Conditioning
PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether
Emulsifying
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
CI 17200
Cosmetic ColorantRetinal
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isododecane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Pentylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polymethyl Methacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Algin, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, BHT, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol Linseedate, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Parfum, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Papain, PEG-7 Trimethylolpropane Coconut Ether, Potassium Sorbate, CI 17200, Retinal, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Isostearate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
