What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum
Emulsion Stabilising
Stevioside
MaskingMenthyl PCA
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Saccharide Hydrolysate
HumectantMagnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningGlycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Creatine
Skin ConditioningSilica
Abrasive
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPEG-8 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmulsifyingPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Fumaric Acid
BufferingFumaria Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentylene Glycol, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Stevioside, Menthyl PCA, Glycerin, Urea, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Magnesium Aspartate, Glycine, Alanine, Creatine, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-8 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Propylene Glycol, Fumaric Acid, Fumaria Officinalis Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Alcohol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, CI 42090
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideGlycerin (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 Glycerin
