What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningBorago Officinalis Seed Oil
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
EmollientNelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningNymphaea Coerulea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingTrehalose
HumectantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningCalcium Gluconate
HumectantCopper Gluconate
Skin ConditioningGluconolactone
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantMagnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
SolventPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantZinc Gluconate
Skin ConditioningWater, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Pentylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract, Nymphaea Coerulea Flower Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Trehalose, Allantoin, Calcium Gluconate, Copper Gluconate, Gluconolactone, Hydroxyacetophenone, Magnesium Aspartate, Panthenol, Propanediol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Tocopherol, Zinc Gluconate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantParaffinum Liquidum
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingCetyl Palmitate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSqualane
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Cera Microcristallina
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Paraffin
PerfumingGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientGlycine Soja Sterols
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingMannitol
HumectantXylitol
HumectantHexyl Laurate
EmollientRhamnose
HumectantSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantFructooligosaccharides
HumectantBHT
AntioxidantLaminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingWater, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Palmitate, Pentylene Glycol, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cera Microcristallina, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Paraffin, Glycine Soja Oil, Glycine Soja Sterols, Polysorbate 60, Mannitol, Xylitol, Hexyl Laurate, Rhamnose, Sorbitan Isostearate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Sodium Hydroxide, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Tocopherol, Fructooligosaccharides, BHT, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Citric Acid
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 ButterCetearyl 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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol 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 Water