What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether
StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Adenosine
Skin Conditioning
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Parfum
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Dipropylene Glycol, PEG-240/Hdi Copolymer Bis-Decyltetradeceth-20 Ether, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, PEG-100 Stearate, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycereth-26, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Adenosine, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Parfum, Disodium EDTA, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyglutamic Acid, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientPropanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Beta Vulgaris Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAvena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingSarcosine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Kojic Acid
Antioxidant
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Acer Saccharum Sap Extract
HumectantArnica Montana Flower Extract
Masking
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningCinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract
Antimicrobial
Biosaccharide Gum-1
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
HumectantHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Glucose
Humectant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Carbonate
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Squalane, Diheptyl Succinate, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Niacinamide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Capryloyl Glycine, Sarcosine, Sodium PCA, Kojic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Acer Saccharum Sap Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Extract, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Glyceryl Stearate, Saccharide Isomerate, Sorbitan Stearate, Stearic Acid, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Hexylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Isostearate, Glucose, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid
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 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 StearatePhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolWater. 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
