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 ConditioningEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
UV AbsorberGlycerin
HumectantOctocrylene
UV AbsorberButylene Glycol
HumectantPropylene Glycol
HumectantCetyl Alcohol
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic ColorantParaffinum Liquidum
EmollientButyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialEthylhexyl Triazone
UV AbsorberTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantAscorbyl Tetraisopalmitate
AntioxidantNiacinamide
SmoothingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningRumex Occidentalis Extract
Skin ConditioningNonapeptide-1
Skin ConditioningBHA
AntioxidantSimethicone
EmollientMethylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol
UV FilterAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingAlumina
AbrasiveDecyl Glucoside
CleansingStearic Acid
CleansingPalmitic Acid
EmollientDextran
Diazolidinyl Urea
PreservativePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingWater, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Glycerin, Octocrylene, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Titanium Dioxide, Paraffinum Liquidum, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Niacinamide, Allantoin, Rumex Occidentalis Extract, Nonapeptide-1, BHA, Simethicone, Methylene Bis-Benzotriazolyl Tetramethylbutylphenol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Xanthan Gum, Alumina, Decyl Glucoside, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Dextran, Diazolidinyl Urea, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinThis 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 GlycerinWater. 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