What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Sorbitol
Humectant
Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
Antioxidant
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Mannitol
Humectant
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentPolyquaternium-7
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Disodium EDTA
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Iron Oxides
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Sorbitol, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Papain, Tocopheryl Acetate, Palmitic Acid, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Mannitol, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Polyquaternium-7, Zea Mays Starch, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxyacetophenone, Iron Oxides, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Trimagnesium Phosphate
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycol Distearate
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPEG-3 Stearate
HumectantPEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCocamide Mea
Emulsifying
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
CI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
Masking
O-Cymen-5-Ol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Ascorbic Acid, Trimagnesium Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycol Distearate, Palmitic Acid, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, PEG-3 Stearate, PEG-150 Distearate, Oleic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Cocamide Mea, Alcohol Denat., CI 77288, Parfum
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 GlycerinMyristic Acid, aka tetradecanoic acid, is a naturally occurring fatty acid found in coconut oil and palm oil.
In skincare, it is an:
Research indicates that this ingredient posts a low risk of irritation and sensitization.
Since myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid, it falls within the range that Malassezia can metabolize, and therefore not fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources.
In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideTocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.
Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.
It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.
One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.
Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.
Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.
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.
Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.
The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.
Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.
Learn more about Tocopheryl Acetate
