What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantIsopentyldiol
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Oil
EmollientArginine
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientOryza Sativa Extract
AbsorbentAvena Sativa Protein Extract
Skin ConditioningAvena Sativa Meal Extract
SoothingGlycine Max Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantPaeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract
Skin ProtectingButylene Glycol
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingDecyl Glucoside
CleansingC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingVinyldimethicone
C14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantWater, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Isopentyldiol, Pentylene Glycol, Panthenol, Allantoin, Ceramide NP, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Arginine, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa Extract, Avena Sativa Protein Extract, Avena Sativa Meal Extract, Glycine Max Seed Extract, Tocopherol, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Decyl Glucoside, C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside, Carbomer, Vinyldimethicone, C14-22 Alcohols, Hydroxyacetophenone
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningC14-22 Alcohols
Emulsion StabilisingBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingC12-20 Alkyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingParfum
MaskingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Benzoate
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantXanthan Gum
Emulsifying
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
We don't have a description for C12-20 Alkyl Glucoside yet.
This ingredient is a blend of long-chain fatty alcohols (myristyl, cetyl, stearyl, arachidyl, and behenyl). It is an emulsion stabilizer with emollient properties.
Don't let the word "alcohol" scare you: fatty alcohols are nothing like the drying solvents. This ingredient actually helps soften and smooth the skin.
By the way, the FDA allows products to be labeled "alcohol-free" even when they contain fatty alcohols like this one.
In a formula, it prevents the water and oil phases from separating over time while also contributing to a pleasant, non-greasy slip.
Interestingly, this ingredient can organize into the structures that mimic the skin's own lipid architecture to help support barrier function and reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
The CIR Expert Panel has thoroughly assess the individual fatty alcohols that make up this blend and found no significant toxicity or dermal irritation.
Fungal acne: Research has shown the Malassezia can grow in the presence of fatty alcohols with the chain length between C12-24, making this ingredient not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about C14-22 AlcoholsGlycerin (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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol 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