What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientCoco-Glucoside
CleansingSodium Coco-Sulfate
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantLauryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantMagnolia Officinalis Bark Extract
AntimicrobialAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion StabilisingCoco-Caprylate
EmollientSqualene
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
EmollientLecithin
EmollientLysolecithin
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingTocopherol
AntioxidantParfum
MaskingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Sitosterol, Coco-Caprylate, Squalene, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lecithin, Lysolecithin, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Tocopherol, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Glucoside
CleansingAlcohol
AntimicrobialGlycerin
HumectantDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingInulin
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
BufferingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientPCA Glyceryl Oleate
EmollientSodium PCA
HumectantArginine Ferulate
Skin ConditioningPCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate
MoisturisingPhytic Acid
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingUrtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialLevulinic Acid
PerfumingMaltodextrin
AbsorbentMoringa Oleifera Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
EmollientLecithin
EmollientAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantBenzyl Salicylate
PerfumingWater, Coco-Glucoside, Alcohol, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Inulin, Lactic Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Oleate, PCA Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium PCA, Arginine Ferulate, PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate, Phytic Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Citric Acid, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Levulinic Acid, Maltodextrin, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Sodium Levulinate, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Benzyl Salicylate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Ascorbyl Palmitate is a fat-soluble form of vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) made by combining it with palmitic acid.
It is able to blend easily into creams and oil-based formulas because it dissolves in oils rather than water.
As you may know, regular vitamin C is notorious for breaking down when exposed to sunlight and air. Ascorbyl Palmitate is more stable and degrades at a slower rate.
Research on whether it converts efficiently into active vitamin C once it's applied on your skin is still limited.
Some in-vitro studies suggest it may support collagen production, but it is not considered one of the stronger vitamin C derivatives, like:
Due to the palmitic acid base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Comedogenic studies have also shown this ingredient to have a rating of 2.
It's also worth keeping in mind that comedogenic and irritancy ratings are tested on individual ingredients, not finished formulas. The final product's formulation, concentration, and other ingredients all play a role in how something actually behaves on your skin.
Learn more about Ascorbyl PalmitateCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Oleate is the monoester of glycerin and oleic acid. It is a skin-conditioning emollient that also helps form emulsions.
What makes glyceryl oleate special is its "re-fatting" effect.
When you wash your hair and skin with a surfactant-based cleanser, the surfactants grab onto everything. This includes your skin's natural lipids, or the fats that live in your skin barrier and sebum. Once you rinse these surfactants away, it leaves your skin feeling tight, dry, and clean (in a not-good way).
Re-fatting is essentially putting some of these lipids back. Glyceryl oleate deposits a thin layer of emollient lipids back on the skin or hair surface reduce some of the barrier damage.
Also, glyceryl oleate isn't a foreign molecule to your skin. It's chemically identical to something your skin already produces and manages naturally. This is why it tends to be well-tolerated with low risk of irritation.
Typical use levels range from 0.5-5%.
Glyceryl Oleate has a function of "perfuming" in the CosIng database. This just means that the ingredient has some scent character that can contribute to the product's overall smell.
The scent of this ingredient is described as "waxy".
As an ester of oleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. This is because oleic acid falls into the carbon-chain length that Malassezia can use as a substrate.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate isn't fungal acne safe.
Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Learn more about LecithinTocopherol 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum