What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Octyldodecyl Myristate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingVaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Acrylates Copolymer
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingLecithin
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Acer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, C10-18 Triglycerides, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium PCA, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Lecithin, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Acer Saccharum Extract, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
C15-19 Alkane
SolventSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
C10-18 Triglycerides
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate Citrate
Emulsifying
Methylpropanediol
SolventPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingHydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, C15-19 Alkane, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, C10-18 Triglycerides, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Methylpropanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Carbomer, Lecithin, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Polyglutamic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
C10-18 Triglycerides is a skin conditioning and texture-enhancer.
It is created from glycerin and a mixture of C10-18 fatty acids.
This ingredient improves spreadability and helps thicken a product.
According to manufacturers, it usually comes from vegetable-based saturated fatty acids. Common bases for this ingredient are coconut oil, palm kernel oil, or both.
Due to the melting point being close to skin temperature, it is usually used in lip products.
Triglycerides are a main component of fat in the human body.
Learn more about C10-18 TriglyceridesGlycerin (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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinThis ingredient is more commonly known as IPMP or Isopropyl Methylphenol. It is a preservative and has antimicrobial properties.
According to the EPA, this ingredient is allowed for use in cleansers, creams, powders, bath products, toothpaste, perfume, and more.
Jojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilThis ingredient is a synthetic, salt form polymer built from acrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, or their simple esters. It works as a binder, film former, and viscosity increasing agent.
Typical concentrations start at around 0.5% but can go up to 25% for film-forming or binding.
The CIR Expert Panel assessed the safety of 126 acrylates copolymers and concluded they are safe in cosmetics at current use levels when formulated to be non-irritating. They also noted the levels present in finished cosmetic products are not considered a safety risk and Genotoxicity testing (Ames tests, chromosomal aberration assays) has come back negative across the board.
Though the raw building blocks (like acrylic acid) can be irritating on their own, cosmetic-grade versions go through purification to keep levels extremely low.
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer is a large molecule that doesn't penetrate skin barrier in any meaningful way.
Learn more about Sodium Acrylates CopolymerSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
