What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Molasses Extract
Skin ConditioningAsparagopsis Armata Extract
Skin ProtectingAscophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Hydrogenated Olive Oil
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables
Skin Conditioning
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, PEG-100 Stearate, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Dimethicone, Cetyl Esters, Molasses Extract, Asparagopsis Armata Extract, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Olea Europaea Oil Unsaponifiables, Caffeine, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Salicylic Acid, Tocopherol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium PCA, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Isoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate
Emulsifying
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract
MaskingAlbizia Julibrissin Bark Extract
MaskingDarutoside
Skin ConditioningPhytic Acid
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Pullulan
Lecithin
Emollient
Lysolecithin
EmulsifyingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Disodium Phosphate
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Coco-Caprylate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Isoamyl Laurate, Squalane, Coconut Alkanes, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Bakuchiol, Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Darutoside, Phytic Acid, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Pullulan, Lecithin, Lysolecithin, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Silica, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium Phosphate
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 also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterGlycerin (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 Stearate Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitrateTocopherol 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
