What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearyl Citrate
EmollientCocoglycerides
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Calcium PCA
Humectant
Magnesium PCA
Humectant
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientDisodium Phosphate
BufferingSodium Phytate
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glycerin, Stearyl Citrate, Cocoglycerides, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Laurate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Squalane, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium PCA, Calcium PCA, Magnesium PCA, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sodium Anisate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Disodium Phosphate, Sodium Phytate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Emollient
Glyceryl Oleate Citrate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Kaempferia Parviflora Rhizome Extract
Antioxidant
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Oryza Sativa Bran Wax
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningOleic Acid
Emollient
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingWater, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Kaempferia Parviflora Rhizome Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Wax, Carbomer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Propanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Oleic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Phenethyl Alcohol
Reviews
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 OilCetearyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin (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 OilTocopherol (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 TocopherolTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
