What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol
Solvent
Isodecyl Neopentanoate
EmollientArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Rhus Succedanea Fruit Wax
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Arginine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Alanine
Masking
Serine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Lysine Hcl
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
PCA
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Maltose
MaskingFructose
Humectant
Sucrose
Humectant
Trehalose
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Urea
Buffering
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Chloride
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Inulin, Propanediol, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Rhus Succedanea Fruit Wax, Sodium Hyaluronate, Arginine, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Proline, Threonine, Glutamic Acid, Lysine Hcl, Betaine, Sodium PCA, PCA, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Glucose, Maltose, Fructose, Sucrose, Trehalose, Sodium Lactate, Urea, Allantoin, Behenyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Pentylene Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Xanthan Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isododecane
EmollientNiacinamide
Smoothing
Diisopropyl Adipate
EmollientPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Petrolatum
Emollient
Diisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triheptanoin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingC9-12 Alkane
SolventEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyurethane-10
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Triethanolamine
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Isododecane, Niacinamide, Diisopropyl Adipate, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Petrolatum, Diisopropyl Sebacate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Betaine, Phenoxyethanol, Triheptanoin, Carbomer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, C9-12 Alkane, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyurethane-10, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Triethanolamine
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCaprylic/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 TriglycerideEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
Water. 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
