What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingIsostearyl Neopentanoate
EmollientDicalcium Phosphate
AbrasivePolyethylene
AbrasiveSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientKaolin
AbrasiveSynthetic Beeswax
Emulsion StabilisingSynthetic Wax
AbrasiveStearalkonium Bentonite
Gel FormingMica
Cosmetic ColorantPolyhydroxystearic Acid
EmulsifyingPropylene Carbonate
SolventPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
AntioxidantTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingPanax Ginseng Root Extract
EmollientVitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTin Oxide
AbrasiveCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantCI 15850
Cosmetic ColorantCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Polyethylene, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Kaolin, Synthetic Beeswax, Synthetic Wax, Stearalkonium Bentonite, Mica, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Propylene Carbonate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Tin Oxide, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 19140, CI 42090, CI 15850
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientRicinus Communis Seed Oil
MaskingMica
Cosmetic ColorantCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingCopernicia Cerifera Cera
EmollientSynthetic Beeswax
Emulsion StabilisingCastor Isostearate Succinate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantPolyhydroxystearic Acid
EmulsifyingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientRosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
EmollientCrambe Abyssinica Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningIsostearic Acid
CleansingTin Oxide
AbrasiveCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingLecithin
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate
EmulsifyingCamellia Sinensis Seed Oil
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
AbsorbentPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Mica, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Synthetic Beeswax, Castor Isostearate Succinate, Tocopherol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Isostearic Acid, Tin Oxide, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Maltodextrin, 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.
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 TriglycerideCarthamus 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 OilMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaPolyhydroxystearic Acid is a vegetable-derived soft wax made from castor oil. It's an emulsion stabilizer, thickener, and film former.
You'll likely see it in sunscreens because it helps disperse pigments and UV-reflecting minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide evenly.
Depending on the concentration, it can drastically change the texture of a product from pasty solid (like lipstick) to sprayable liquid.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be safe in cosmetics. The highest reported use concentration is 14.2% in lipsticks.
Learn more about Polyhydroxystearic AcidJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilSynthetic beeswax is created to be identical in structure to beeswax without involving bees, making it a go-to for vegan formulas.
It's mainly used an an emulsion stabilizer and thickener.
This ingredient (alongside other synthetic waxes) have been concluded to be safe in cosmetics under the present practices.
Reported usage goes up to 18% and it is non-sensitizing.
Just one caveat for fungal acne: This ingredient is made up of C16-32 fatty acids and fatty acid esters. Part of this overlaps with the C11-24 range that the Malassezia yeast can feed on, so it's not fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Synthetic BeeswaxTin Oxide is an inorganic oxide used to add opacity and volume to a product. In nature, it is already found in mineral form. The main ore of tin is an opaque and shiny mineral called casseterite.
Tin Oxide helps remove translucency in a product, or make it more opaque. Besides adding opacity, tin oxide is used for bulking to add volume.