What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Spirulina Platensis Extract
Skin ProtectingGlycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Tetradecane
Perfuming
Adansonia Digitata Oil
Emollient
Melia Azadirachta Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAmber Powder
Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract
TonicCurcuma Longa Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Oat Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Spirulina Platensis Extract, Glycerin, Water, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Tetradecane, Adansonia Digitata Oil, Melia Azadirachta Seed Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Amber Powder, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Tocopherol, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Oat Amino Acids
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningLonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract
AntiseborrhoeicGluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Callus Extract
Skin ConditioningBeta Vulgaris Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAlgae Extract
EmollientRetinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Coffea Canephora Seed Extract
EmollientGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Gluconolactone, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Alcohol, Carbomer, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Callus Extract, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Algae Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Coffea Canephora Seed Extract, Glycolic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil is the fixed oil expressed from the seeds of the Cannabis sativa plant. This is also known as hemp oil.
Hemp oil is an emollient and nourishes the skin. It contains many fatty acids such as linoleic acid, amino acids, phospholipids, and vitamin E.
The difference between hemp and cannabis is their psychoactive component. Hemp has low amounts of THC.
Learn more about Cannabis Sativa Seed OilCaprylic/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 TriglycerideCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract is also known as Ivy Gourd Fruit Extract. It has skin conditioning properties.
The fruit is rich in flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, and sterols that show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect in vitro. This is because the fruit contains a thick mucilage that forms a protective and soothing layer on the skin's surface.
The extract itself has demonstrated antioxidant, soothing, and potential anti-allergy properties.
Most of this research is done in vitro and dedicated clinical studies on topical application are still limited.
Learn more about Coccinia Indica Fruit ExtractCorallina Officinalis Extract is from the red seaweed, Corallina Officinalis. This seaweed is found all over the world but is most common in the rocky shores of Great Britain and Ireland.
Corallina Officinalis Extract contains antioxidant and emollient properties.
Extracted polysaccharides, galactose and xylose, in red algae showed antioxidant activity. Antioxidants help with anti-aging by neutralizing free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules may damage your skin cells and DNA. Galactose is also a PHA.
Corallina Officinalis is structurally similar to coral due to its high calcium content.
Learn more about Corallina Officinalis ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract is extract from the neem plant.
The leaves of this tree contain flavonoids and polyphenols. These two compounds are antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial. Further research is needed as to their effects when applied on skin.
Retinyl Palmitate is a form of retinoid. Retinoids are the superstar class of anti-aging ingredients that include Tretinoin and Retinol.
This particular ingredient has had a bumpy year with its rise and fall in popularity.
First, Retinyl Palmitate is created from Palmitic Acid and Retinol. It is a Retinol ester and considered one of the weaker forms of retinoid.
This is because all retinoids have to be converted to Tretinoin, AKA Retinoic Acid.
Retinyl Palmitate is pretty far down the line and has to go through multiple conversions before its effects are seen. Once it's on your skin, enzymes called esterases convert it into Retinol, then into Retinal, and finally into Retinoic Acid; that's three steps with a little lost at each one.
The benefits of Retinyl Palmitate are debated due to this long and ineffective conversion line.
So why use it at all?
The answer is stability. Retinol and Retinoic Acid break down fast when they hit light, heat, and air, and Retinoic Acid can be pretty irritating on top of that.
Retinyl Palmitate is much more stable and gentler, making it easier to formulate with and easier on sensitive skin (even if it's weaker gram for gram).
Studies show Retinyl Palmitate to help:
Newer research from 2023-2025 also found that Retinyl Palmitate works especially well when paired with Retinol. The two seem to cover each other's weak spots; retinol brings the potency while Retinyl Palmitate brings the stability and gentleness. Together, they repair UV damage better than either one does alone.
This ingredient used to be found in sunscreens to boost the efficacy of sunscreen filters.
The downfall of Retinyl Palmitate was due to released reports about the ingredient being correlated to sun damage and skin tumors.
Most of this traces back to a 2012 US National Toxicology Program (NTP) study where hairless mice coated in Retinyl Palmitate cream and exposed to UV light developed skin tumors faster.
Here's the nuance, though.
When the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel went back through that study, they found methodological flaws and decided the results couldn't be interpreted as proof of extra risk.
The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) said the mouse findings might point to a concern but they're hard to apply to humans since hairless mouse skin and human skin behave differently.
While there is a study showing this ingredient to cause DNA damage when exposed to UVA, there is no concrete proof of it being linked to skin cancer. It is completely safe to use when used correctly.
Both the CIR and the SCCS consider it safe at the concentrations used in cosmetics; the SCCS specifically cleared retinoids up to 0.05% in body lotions and 0.3% in face creams, hand creams, and rinse-off products.
As of 2025, the EU has written those limits into law, plus a label warning about your total Vitamin A intake from all sources.
All retinoids increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun in the first few months of usage. Be especially careful with reapplying sunscreen when using any form of retinoid.
One more note: if you're pregnant, high doses of Vitamin A can be a concern, so a lot of people skip topical retinoids (including Retinyl Palmitate) during pregnancy just to be safe. Check with your doctor if you're unsure.
Fun fact: This ingredient is often added to low-fat milk to increase the levels of Vitamin A.
Learn more about Retinyl PalmitateWater. 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
