What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Water

Skin Conditioning

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Masking
Coconut Derived IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Propanediol

Solvent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Cetearyl Alcohol

Emollient
2 / 1 Fatty Alcohol IconCoconut Derived IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconMay worsen Keratosis Pilaris IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Skin Conditioning
Vitamin C IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

Emollient
Coconut Derived Icon

Hydrogenated Farnesene

Emollient

Glyceryl Stearate

Emollient
1 / 0 May worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconMay worsen Keratosis Pilaris IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Skin Conditioning
Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Skin Conditioning
Peptide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconGood for Skin Texture Icon

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Bleaching
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Saccharide Isomerate

Humectant
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Ceramide Ng

Skin Conditioning
Ceramide IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Niacinamide

Smoothing
Niacinamide IconHelps fight Acne IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Skin Texture IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning

Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract

Helps reduce irritation Icon

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Japonica Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate

Emulsion Stabilising
Oil IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Persea Gratissima Oil

Skin Conditioning
0-3 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Glycine Soja Oil

Emollient
3 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Dark Spots IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconMay worsen Keratosis Pilaris IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Emollient
0-2 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Emollient
Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Acacia Senegal Gum

Masking

Hydroxyacetophenone

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Cetearyl Olivate

May worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Caprylyl Glycol

Emollient
Fatty Alcohol Icon

Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6

Emulsion Stabilising

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Emulsion Stabilising

Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate/Succinate

May worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

PEG-100 Stearate

Surfactant
0 / 0 May worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Sorbitan Olivate

Emulsifying
May worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Cetearyl Glucoside

Emulsifying
May worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Hexylene Glycol

Emulsifying
0-2 / 0-1

Ethoxydiglycol

Humectant
0 / 0

Sodium Citrate

Buffering

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Sodium Metabisulfite

Antioxidant
Preservative IconAntioxidant Icon

Phenoxyethanol

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Ethylhexylglycerin

Skin Conditioning

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Parfum

Masking
Synthetic Fragrance IconFragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Perioral Dermatitis IconMay worsen Psoriasis IconMay worsen Seborrheic Dermatitis IconMay worsen Keratosis Pilaris IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Limonene

Perfuming
Fragrance IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Perioral Dermatitis IconMay worsen Psoriasis IconMay worsen Rosacea IconEU Allergen Icon

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is one of the most popular "stable" vitamin C derivatives in skincare.

Plain ascorbic acid is fantastic but notoriously fragile; it browns, oxidizes, and loses potency fast. So attaching an ethyl group to the third carbon of the molecule gives it some cool perks:

In a formula, it does the 3 classic vitamin C jobs: it acts as an antioxidant, helps brighten skin tone by inhibiting tyrosinase, and supports collagen.

The evidence is reasonably solid for a cosmetic ingredient; Liao and colleagues (2018) showed it's significantly more stable than ascorbic acid while still being effective.

A 2021 study by Zerbinati and colleagues tested a serum with 30% 3-O-ethyl-l-ascorbic acid and 1% lactic acid significantly increased collagen production, reduced UVB-induced DNA damage, and decreased melanin on a reconstructed pigmented skin model.

Typical real world usage sits around 0.5-5% (and 1-2% is common for daily serums).

Amounts up to 30% have been shown to be non-irritating on human skin samples, but two isolated cases reported allergic contact dermatitis so a patch test is sensible if you have reactive skin.

Learn more about 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl 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 Glycol
Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

Glycerin (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 Glycerin
Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum
Preservative

Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.

This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.

Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.

You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.

Learn more about Potassium Sorbate
Solvent

Propanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin. 

It’s often used to:

Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.

Learn more about Propanediol
Masking, Preservative

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.

Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.

Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.

It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.

Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.

We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

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
Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

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