What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Citric Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Amniotic Fluid
MoisturisingPEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyacrylamide
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Ethyl Oleate
Emollient
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Ethyl Linoleate
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLaureth-7
EmulsifyingHydrolyzed Gelatin
Skin ConditioningSodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Embryo Extract
MoisturisingEthyl Linolenate
Emollient
Papain
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Squalane, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Glyceryl Stearate, Amniotic Fluid, PEG-20 Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Polyacrylamide, Alcohol Denat., Ethyl Oleate, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Ethyl Linoleate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Laureth-7, Hydrolyzed Gelatin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Embryo Extract, Ethyl Linolenate, Papain, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. 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. Be sure to 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.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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 Water
