What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Centella Asiatica Extract
Antioxidant
Retinol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCopernicia Cerifera Cera
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Methylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Panthenol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Hydrolyzed Centella Asiatica Extract, Retinol, Allantoin, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Propanediol, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningAlmond/Borage/Linseed/Olive Acids/Glycerides
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Emulsifying
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Starch
AbsorbentCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Beeswax
Emulsifying
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Eclipta Prostrata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCitronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Water, Almond/Borage/Linseed/Olive Acids/Glycerides, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Jojoba Esters, Oryza Sativa Starch, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Tocopherol, Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Dehydroacetic Acid, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl 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 StearateHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilTocopherol 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
