What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningZinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Coconut/Palm Kernel Alkanes
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Tri (Polyglyceryl-3/Lauryl) Hydrogenated Trilinoleate
EmulsifyingFeruloyl Soy Glycerides
Antioxidant
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Citric Acid
Buffering
Magnesium Sulfate
Magnesium Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Triethyl Citrate
Masking
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Sodium Phytate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Zinc Oxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coconut/Palm Kernel Alkanes, Coco-Caprylate, Tri (Polyglyceryl-3/Lauryl) Hydrogenated Trilinoleate, Feruloyl Soy Glycerides, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Citric Acid, Magnesium Sulfate, Magnesium Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Benzoic Acid, Panthenol, Piroctone Olamine, Sodium Phytate, Tocopherol
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Methylpropanediol
SolventPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientVinyldimethicone
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAminomethyl Propanediol
BufferingEctoin
Skin Conditioning
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Phytate
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingWater, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Panthenol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Methylpropanediol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Beta-Glucan, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Vinyldimethicone, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Aminomethyl Propanediol, Ectoin, Adenosine, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Phytate, Ceramide NP, Phytosphingosine, Tocopherol, Stearyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum
Reviews
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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
Tocopherol 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
