What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Isohexadecane
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propanediol
Solvent
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Salvia Sclarea Oil
Masking
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Stearic Acid, Isohexadecane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Bisabolol, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Squalane, Theobroma Cacao Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningHydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Steareth-21
CleansingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCholesterol
Emollient
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingCeramide Eos
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Sphingosine
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Ceteareth-25
Cleansing3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Water, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide NP, Gluconolactone, Steareth-21, Niacinamide, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Cholesterol, Ceramide Ns, Polysorbate 60, Ethylhexylglycerin, Panthenol, Ceramide EOP, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Ceramide Eos, Hydroxyacetophenone, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceramide AP, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Ceteareth-25, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Behenic 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 TriglycerideCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinWater. 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
