What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Squalane
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil
Skin Protecting
Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Avena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningCocoglycerides
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetearyl Olivate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sorbitan Olivate, Glyceryl Laurate, Tocopherol, Squalane, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Levulinate, Cocoglycerides, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tapioca Starch
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Viola Tricolor Extract
EmollientCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientParfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Cinnamate
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Betaine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tapioca Starch, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Sorbitan Olivate, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Viola Tricolor Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Lactic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Parfum, Limonene, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carthamus tinctorius seed oil comes from safflower, one of humanity's oldest crops.
Safflower seed oil contains a high percentage of linoleic acid and oleic acid. It also contains Vitamin E. These three components are effective moisturizers.
Vitamin E helps nourish your skin's lipid barrier. It is also a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or unstable molecules that may damage your skin cells.
Due to its high fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be malassezia folliculitis safe.
Thoughout history, safflower has been used for dying fabrics and in food as a saffron substitute.
Learn more about Carthamus Tinctorius Seed OilGlycerin (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 GlycerinHelianthus 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 OilSorbitan Olivate is created from the fatty acids in olive oil and sorbitol.
This ingredient is an oil in water emulsifier. It helps stabilize a product by preventing oils and waters from separating. Sorbitan Olivate also helps hydrate the skin.
This ingredient is also known as part of Olivem 1000, with Cetearyl Olivate being the other part.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient helps preserve the natural microbiome of skin. Having a healthy microbiome helps keep our skin healthy and protects against harmful bacteria.
Please note, having a healthy microbiome is different from fungal acne; a healthy microbiome includes small amounts of yeast that normally live on your skin without causing problems.
Fungal acne happens when one type of yeast (Malassezia) grows out of control. This is usually because it's feeding on certain oils or fatty acids. Due to the olive oil base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Sorbitan OlivateTocopherol 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
