What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Olivate
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Creatine
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Squalane
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCeramide Ng
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Phytate
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Inulin, Creatine, Niacinamide, Squalane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sorbitan Olivate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Maltodextrin, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide Ng, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sodium Phytate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Citric Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Water
Skin ConditioningTridecyl Stearate
Emollient
Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientPropanediol
Solvent
Squalane
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Tridecyl Trimellitate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan
Skin ConditioningLactococcus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Carotene
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialHelianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Zinc PCA
Humectant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Tridecyl Stearate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Propanediol, Squalane, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, Ceramide NP, Beta-Carotene, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycine Soja Oil, Zinc PCA, Lactic Acid, Allantoin, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Hexylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 GlycerinSqualane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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
