What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantGlycerin
HumectantPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
EmulsifyingC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialMethyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Octyldodecanol
EmollientGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientCera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCandelilla Cera
EmollientCopernicia Cerifera Cera
EmollientAcrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer
Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
AntioxidantDisodium EDTA
PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone
EmulsifyingAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantDiazolidinyl Urea
PreservativePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeIodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
PreservativeMica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Cyclopentasiloxane, CI 77891, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Oleate, Cera Microcristallina, CI 77492, Candelilla Cera, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA, PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Diazolidinyl Urea, Phenoxyethanol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Mica, CI 77491, CI 77499, CI 77288
Water
Skin ConditioningC13-14 Alkane
SolventHydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
EmulsifyingPropanediol
SolventMethyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingLecithin
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeMica
Cosmetic ColorantLauroyl Lysine
Skin ConditioningParfum
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAstrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter
EmollientAstrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter
EmollientTheobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientCitric Acid
BufferingCitral
PerfumingIron Oxides
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, C13-14 Alkane, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Propanediol, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, Lauroyl Lysine, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Oleate, Citric Acid, Citral, Iron Oxides, CI 77891
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ascorbyl Palmitate is a fat-soluble form of vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) made by combining it with palmitic acid.
It is able to blend easily into creams and oil-based formulas because it dissolves in oils rather than water.
As you may know, regular vitamin C is notorious for breaking down when exposed to sunlight and air. Ascorbyl Palmitate is more stable and degrades at a slower rate.
Research on whether it converts efficiently into active vitamin C once it's applied on your skin is still limited.
Some in-vitro studies suggest it may support collagen production, but it is not considered one of the stronger vitamin C derivatives, like:
Due to the palmitic acid base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Comedogenic studies have also shown this ingredient to have a rating of 2.
It's also worth keeping in mind that comedogenic and irritancy ratings are tested on individual ingredients, not finished formulas. The final product's formulation, concentration, and other ingredients all play a role in how something actually behaves on your skin.
Learn more about Ascorbyl PalmitateCi 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.
It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.
Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.
Learn more about CI 77891Glycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Oleate is the monoester of glycerin and oleic acid. It is a skin-conditioning emollient that also helps form emulsions.
What makes glyceryl oleate special is its "re-fatting" effect.
When you wash your hair and skin with a surfactant-based cleanser, the surfactants grab onto everything. This includes your skin's natural lipids, or the fats that live in your skin barrier and sebum. Once you rinse these surfactants away, it leaves your skin feeling tight, dry, and clean (in a not-good way).
Re-fatting is essentially putting some of these lipids back. Glyceryl oleate deposits a thin layer of emollient lipids back on the skin or hair surface reduce some of the barrier damage.
Also, glyceryl oleate isn't a foreign molecule to your skin. It's chemically identical to something your skin already produces and manages naturally. This is why it tends to be well-tolerated with low risk of irritation.
Typical use levels range from 0.5-5%.
Glyceryl Oleate has a function of "perfuming" in the CosIng database. This just means that the ingredient has some scent character that can contribute to the product's overall smell.
The scent of this ingredient is described as "waxy".
As an ester of oleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. This is because oleic acid falls into the carbon-chain length that Malassezia can use as a substrate.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateThis ingredient comes as a powder made up of small, porous, microbeads. It is used to add a silky feel to products and also helps absorb oil.
Mica 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 MicaPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate is a plant-derived, oil-soluble emulsifier. It keeps water-in-oil emulsions stable to prevent the ingredients from separating.
On the safety front, it's considered non-irritating and well-tolerated (it can even be found in formulations for baby skin).
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because research has shown that the Malassezia species can grow in the presence of fatty acid esters with chain lengths above C12 (and this one is C18).
While it does have a comedogenic rating of 4, the comedogenic rating scale was developed from rabbit ear models which has limited clinical relevance to human skin. Studies also show that comedogenic ingredients cannot predict how the overall formula will behave on human skin.
Learn more about Polyglyceryl-3 DiisostearateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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 Water