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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream versus Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream .

Published on July 16, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 6 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin, brightening skin and sensitive skin

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

General Moisturizer American Brand United States
Night Moisturizer American Brand United States

General Moisturizer

All-purpose moisturizers hydrate the top layer of skin cells.

Night Moisturizer

Night Moisturizers are marketed to hydrate the skin overnight.

Price

Shop

Buy Total Moisture Facial Cream

Starts at $42.00
Shop

Buy Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream

Starts at $10.17

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

Vitamin E (2)

Benefits

Hydrating (4)
Redness Reducing
Reduces Irritation
Brightening (3)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (4)
Acne Trigger
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

AHA
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Exfoliators
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating (3)
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation (2)
Skin Texture (2)
Reduces Large Pores
Anti-Aging (3)
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (4)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (3)
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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Water • Dicaprylyl Carbonate • Hydrogenated Lanolin • Squalane • Glycerin • Methyl Trimethicone • Glyceryl Stearate • Stearyl Alcohol • Peg-8 • Pentylene Glycol • Caprylic/Capric/Succinic Triglyceride • Ceteth-20 • Ethylhexyl Palmitate • Dimethicone • Betaine • Decyloxazolidinone • Phenoxyethanol • Cetyl Alcohol • Palmitic Acid • Stearic Acid • Parfum • Steareth-25 • Mangifera Indica Seed Butter • Steareth-21 • Tetrasodium EDTA • Tocopheryl Acetate • Carbomer • Xylitylglucoside • Sorbitol • Linalool • Anhydroxylitol • Sodium Hydroxide • Algin • Xylitol • Hexyl Cinnamal • Limonene • Polyvinyl Alcohol • Cellulose Gum • Tocopherol • BHA

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. 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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream contains this as ingredient number 1.

Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream contains this as ingredient number 5.

Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients.

Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.

They are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent alcohols. FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

Learn more about Stearyl Alcohol

Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream contains this as ingredient number 8.

Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 9.

4
What it does: Preservative
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent germ and microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.

It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.

Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream contains this as ingredient number 17.

Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 34.

5
What it does: Emollient, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Masking
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.

Cetyl Alcohol is not related to SD alcohol, denatured alcohol, or ethyl alcohol. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.

Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream contains this as ingredient number 18.

Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 5.

6
What it does: Antioxidant, Masking, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Tocopherol (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 Tocopherol

Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream contains this as ingredient number 39.

Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream contains this as ingredient number 20.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

30% are loved or liked
5% have mixed ratings
50% are disliked or very disliked
15% have no rating yet
32% are loved or liked
9% have mixed ratings
53% are disliked or very disliked
6% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Benefit Cosmetics Total Moisture Facial Cream.

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Our Dupe Finder has found 20 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to Shea Moisture Papaya & Vitamin C Brighter Days Ahead Night Cream.

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