What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
EmollientSqualane
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCentella Asiatica Extract
CleansingNiacinamide
Smoothing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningMadecassic Acid
Skin ConditioningAsiaticoside
AntioxidantAsiatic Acid
Skin ConditioningBehenic Acid
CleansingBetaine
HumectantTromethamine
BufferingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingPalmitic Acid
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCandida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment
AntimicrobialCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingOryza Sativa Germ Oil
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingSodium Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAdenosine
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
CleansingArachidic Acid
CleansingTremella Fuciformis Extract
HumectantPerilla Ocymoides Seed Extract
AntioxidantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantBeta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Squalane, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Ceramide NP, Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Behenic Acid, Betaine, Tromethamine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Candida Bombicola/Glucose/Methyl Rapeseedate Ferment, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Oryza Sativa Germ Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Sodium Carbomer, Adenosine, Phytosphingosine, Myristic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Beta-Glucan
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.Ā
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 preservativesĀ
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 ingredientās 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 or alcohol, 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 GlycerinSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, itās technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term āoil-freeā isnāt regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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