What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Prunus Domestica Seed Extract
EmollientHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSilica
Abrasive
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Propylheptyl Caprylate
EmollientButylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Glycol Palmitate
Emulsifying
Squalane
Emollient
Sucrose Stearate
EmollientMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carnosine
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingMannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Salvia Miltiorrhiza Flower/Leaf/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningRhamnose
HumectantGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Skin Conditioning
Water, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Propylheptyl Caprylate, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Glycol Palmitate, Squalane, Sucrose Stearate, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Carnosine, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Mannitol, Xylitol, Tocopherol, Salvia Miltiorrhiza Flower/Leaf/Root Extract, Rhamnose, Glycine Soja Oil, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-10
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinThis is a synthetic polymer. It helps improve the texture of products by adding thickness and gel-like feel.
It is also an emulsifer, meaning it prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It also helps evenly disperse other ingredients.
Sorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateTocopherol 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
