What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Synthetic Wax
Abrasive
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate
Emulsifying
Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin)
EmollientBis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Kaolin
Abrasive
Silica
Abrasive
Magnesium/Potassium/Silicon/Fluoride/Hydroxide/Oxide
Glycerin
Humectant
Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil
Antimicrobial
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientTriethoxycaprylylsilane
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Carbonate
SolventLauryl Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Gel FormingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
CI 45410
Cosmetic ColorantCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantOctyldodecanol, Synthetic Wax, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Kaolin, Silica, Magnesium/Potassium/Silicon/Fluoride/Hydroxide/Oxide, Glycerin, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Caprylate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Water, Propylene Carbonate, Lauryl Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Ethylhexylglycerin, CI 77891, Iron Oxides, CI 45410, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Isotridecyl Isononanoate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Euphorbia Cerifera Cera
Astringent
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantPolymethylsilsesquioxane
PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Dimethicone/Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer
Cleansing
Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
Synthetic Fluorphlogopite
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lactate
Buffering
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Water, Dimethicone, Isotridecyl Isononanoate, Glycerin, Euphorbia Cerifera Cera, Dipropylene Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, PEG-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Polyglycerin-3 Crosspolymer, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Disodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Lactate, Polysorbate 20, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Aluminum Hydroxide is a form of aluminum. It can be naturally found in nature as the mineral gibbsite. In cosmetics, Aluminum Hydroxide is used as a colorant, pH adjuster, and absorbent.
As a colorant, Aluminum Hydroxide may add opacity, or reduce the transparency. Aluminum hydroxide is contains both basic and acidic properties.
According to manufacturers, this ingredient is an emollient and humectant. This means it helps hydrate the skin.
In medicine, this ingredient is used to help relieve heartburn and help heal ulcers.
There is currently no credible scientific evidence linking aluminum hydroxide in cosmetics to increased cancer risk.
Major health organizations allow the use of aluminum hydroxide in personal care products and have not flagged it as a carcinogenic risk at typical usage levels.
Learn more about Aluminum HydroxideCaprylyl 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 GlycolEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPalmitoyl Tripeptide-1 (aka Pal-GHK) is a synthetic signal peptide made of three amino acids attached to palmitic acid.
That fatty acid attachment is the key: it boosts the peptide's ability to penetrate the skin barrier. This puts it closer to the dermal cells where it can actually make a difference.
Once there, it acts as a matrikine, a signaling peptide that prompts fibroblasts to produce more collagen, fibronectin, and hyaluronic acid.
In vitro studies show it can boost collagen production in skin cells even when UV-damaged skin samples were treated with it at a tiny concentration (it almost fully restored dermal collagen at 5ppm). It achieved this at 100x lower concentration than retinoic acid, which needed 500 ppm to do the same thing.
Human clinical data is promising, but modest:
A study of 23 female volunteers found a small but statistically significant increase (~4%) in skin thickness after treatment at 4 ppm.
A separate small trial of 15 women showed statistically significant reductions in wrinkle length, depth, and skin roughness after applying it twice daily for four weeks.
You'll likely see Pal-GHK paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as part of the Matrixyl 3000 complex.
Fungal acne note:
Usually a palmitic acid component can feed Malassezia in unbound form, but here is is covalently bonded to the peptide. This means it is very difficult for Malassezia to access, and therefore very unlikely to cause fungal acne.
Water. 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
