What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Squalane
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Corallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSqualane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Bisabolol, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Rubus Laciniatus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCitrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil
Masking
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil
Masking
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Eriocephalus Punctulatus Oil
Masking
CI 61565
Cosmetic ColorantCI 60725
Cosmetic ColorantVitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Rubus Laciniatus Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Eriocephalus Punctulatus Oil, CI 61565, CI 60725
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This oil is created by distilling the dried flower heads of the Roman Chamomile flower.
Chamomile is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Several compounds found in chamomile help with soothing, such as bisbolol.
Dimethyl Isosorbide (often shortened to DMI) is a sugar-derived solvent made from sorbitol. It's used to dissolve tricky ingredients and help them mix smoothly into a formula.
Many actives sit as gritty crystals when undissolved, so DMI swoops in to full dissolve them. This helps improve texture, stability, and how evenly an active is distributed.
It does have a penetration-enhancing reputation that is a bit more nuanced than marketing suggests; a cell study on human skin found that 10% DMI didn't significantly boost the permeation of Hydroquinone, Salicylic Acid, or Octadecenedioic Acid compared to controls (though it did improve their solubility in the formula itself).
Typical usage concentrations usually range from 1-10% depending on the formula's needs; this ingredient is also well tolerated at these levels.
Learn more about Dimethyl IsosorbideHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilHydroxypinacolone Retinoate (aka Granactive Retinoid or HPR) is a retinoid that is part of the same vitamin A family as retinol.
It is an ester of retinoic acid that binds directly to your skin's retinoic acid receptors so it doesn't need your skin to convert it through several steps before it can do anything.
In practice, this means it does the classic retinoid jobs in a formula:
The best part is that it can do all this with noticeably less redness, flaking, and stinging than traditional retinoids.
That gentle reputation is backed by lab work as well; a 2018 study on skin models found that HPR triggered higher retinoid-gene activity than retinol, retinal, or retinyl propionate at the same concentrations while being less irritating to cells.
It also boosted procollagen production to levels similar to retinoic acid itself.
A 2023 study showed HPR works synergistically with retinyl propionate to switch on collagen-building pathways and a 2025 clinical serum study in women with mild photoaging saw improvements in wrinkles and elasticity (though that formula also contained retinol, peptides, and Silybin).
One naming quirk worth mentioning:
You'll likely see this ingredient sold under the trade name "Granactive Retinoid", which is actually only 10% HPR blended with 90% Dimethyl Isosorbide solvent. This means a 5% Granactive Retinoid really only means about 0.5% HPR.
Finished products typically land somewhere between 0.05-1% and it's happiest formulated at a mildly acidic to neutral pH (~5.5-6.5).
Another perk is that this is one of the more light- and temperature-stable retinoids which is a nice bonus for shelf life.
Learn more about Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
