What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientPropanediol
Solvent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Punica Granatum Sterols
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Tripeptide-29
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tephrosia Purpurea Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Arginine
Masking
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Boswellia Serrata Gum
Masking
Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Iron Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment
Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment
Skin Conditioning
PCA
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Micrococcus Lysate
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract
Antioxidant
Serine
Masking
Valine
MaskingCholesterol
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Zingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Histidine
Humectant
Phenylalanine
Masking
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsostearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Polyacrylate
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Isononyl Isononanoate, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Boron Nitride, C10-18 Triglycerides, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Punica Granatum Sterols, Ceramide EOP, Oligopeptide-1, Tripeptide-29, Bisabolol, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Ceramide AP, Ceramide NP, Tephrosia Purpurea Seed Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Arginine, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Boswellia Serrata Gum, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Iron Ferment, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/Silicon Ferment, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, PCA, Citric Acid, Lactobacillus Ferment, Glycine, Alanine, Micrococcus Lysate, Hydrolyzed Gardenia Florida Extract, Serine, Valine, Cholesterol, Sodium Benzoate, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Potassium Sorbate, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Behenic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isostearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Butylene Glycol, Aspartic Acid, Maltodextrin, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Triethyl Citrate, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Glyceryl Stearate, Phytosphingosine, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Meadowfoam Estolide
Skin ConditioningPEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPhytosteryl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning
Triheptanoin
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Methylpropanediol
SolventLinoleic Acid
Cleansing
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Tribehenin
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer
Hydroxyproline Palmitamide
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingIsohexadecane
EmollientCeramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
PEG-10 Phytosterol
EmulsifyingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Triacetin
AntimicrobialCastor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coconut Alkanes, Glyceryl Stearate, Meadowfoam Estolide, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Triheptanoin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Methylpropanediol, Linoleic Acid, Phospholipids, Phytosterols, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tribehenin, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Sodium PCA, Urea, Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer, Hydroxyproline Palmitamide, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Ceramide Ng, Trehalose, Sodium Phytate, PEG-10 Phytosterol, Hexylene Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Palmitic Acid, Lactic Acid, Polyquaternium-51, Tocopherol, Triacetin, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCASqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, itâs technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term âoil-freeâ isnât regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
