What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Triethylhexanoin
MaskingGlycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientPolyperfluoroethoxymethoxy Difluoroethyl PEG Phosphate
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Parfum
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Trideceth-6
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSalicylic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Triethylhexanoin, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Panthenol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Polyperfluoroethoxymethoxy Difluoroethyl PEG Phosphate, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Parfum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Benzyl Alcohol, Trideceth-6, Ethylhexylglycerin, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract
Skin ConditioningSucrose Stearate
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Coconut Alcohol
Emollient
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Polyglutamic Acid, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract, Sucrose Stearate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Tocopherol, Propanediol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Coco-Glucoside, Coconut Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Citric Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCaprylic/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 GlycerinTocopherol 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
