What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Oleyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Isononyl Isononanoate
EmollientBis-PEG/PPG-16/16 PEG/PPG-16/16 Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Candelilla Cera
Emollient
Euphorbia Cerifera Cera
Astringent
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate
Emollient
4-T-Butylcyclohexanol
Masking
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Sorbitol
Humectant
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Limonene
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Water, Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Oleyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Isononyl Isononanoate, Bis-PEG/PPG-16/16 PEG/PPG-16/16 Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Candelilla Cera, Euphorbia Cerifera Cera, Behenyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Chlorphenesin, Myristic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Parfum, Sorbitol, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Potassium Hydroxide, Adenosine, Citric Acid, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Limonene, Coumarin, Linalool, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ethylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientSodium PCA
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-75 Stearate
Surfactant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan
Ergothioneine
Antioxidant
Ceteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingP-Anisic Acid
Masking
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSqualane
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Niacinamide, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Sodium PCA, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-75 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan, Ergothioneine, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, P-Anisic Acid, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Xanthan Gum, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycolGlycerin (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 StearateNiacinamide is a multitasking form of vitamin B3 that strengthens the skin barrier, reduces pores and dark spots, regulates oil, and improves signs of aging.
And the best part? It's gentle and well-tolerated by most skin types, including sensitive and reactive skin.
You might have heard of "niacin flush", or the reddening of skin that causes itchiness. Niacinamide has not been found to cause this.
In very rare cases, some individuals may not be able to tolerate niacinamide at all or experience an allergic reaction to it.
If you are experiencing flaking, irritation, and dryness with this ingredient, be sure to double check all your products as this ingredient can be found in all categories of skincare.
When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.
When you apply niacinamide to your skin, your body converts it into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is an essential coenzyme that is already found in your cells as "fuel" and powers countless biological processes.
In your skin, NAD helps repair cell damage, produce new healthy cells, support collagen production, strengthen the skin barrier, and fight environmental stressors (like UV and pollution).
Our natural NAD levels start to decline with age, leading to slower skin repair, visible aging, and a weaker skin barrier. By providing your skin niacinamide, you're recharging your skin's NAD levels. This leads to stronger, healthier, and younger looking skin.
Another name for vitamin B3 is nicotinamide. This vitamin is water-soluble and our bodies don't store it. We obtain Vitamin B3 from either food or skincare. Meat, fish, wheat, yeast, and leafy greens contain vitamin B3.
The type of niacinamide used in skincare is synthetically created.
Learn more about NiacinamideWater. 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 WaterXanthan 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
