Biafine Cica Crème Anti-Irritations Nourrissante Versus Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Petrolatum
Emollient
Olus Oil
Emollient
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Candelilla Cera
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Petrolatum, Olus Oil, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Allantoin, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Candelilla Cera, Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-2 Sesquiisostearate
Emulsifying
PEG-22/Dodecyl Glycol Copolymer
EmulsifyingAluminum Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantAquaphilus Dolomiae Ferment Filtrate
Skin ConditioningArginine
Masking
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Copper Sulfate
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Stearate
Cosmetic ColorantMicrocrystalline Wax
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingZinc Sulfate
Antimicrobial
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Zinc Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-2 Sesquiisostearate, PEG-22/Dodecyl Glycol Copolymer, Aluminum Stearate, Aquaphilus Dolomiae Ferment Filtrate, Arginine, Beeswax, Copper Sulfate, Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystalline Wax, Tromethamine, Zinc Sulfate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinHydrogenated Vegetable Oil is created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in order to give it more stability. This process also raises the melting point of vegetable oil. In cosmetics, it is an emollient.
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.
The term "Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil" is an umbrella term and can refer to a variety of vegetable oils and blends of: sunflower oil, soybean oil, olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and more.
Due to the differences in vegetables, the benefits may vary.
Learn more about Hydrogenated Vegetable OilParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumWater. 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
