What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantStearic Acid
CleansingPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCitrus Paradisi Peel Oil
MaskingSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingTocopherol
AntioxidantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningHydrastis Canadensis Extract
MaskingHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Citrus Paradisi Peel Oil, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Hydrastis Canadensis Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Glycerin
HumectantSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningSorbitol
HumectantRosa Damascena Callus
AntimicrobialMaranta Arundinacea Root Extract
SmoothingStearic Acid
CleansingMyristic Acid
CleansingDisodium Lauroamphodiacetate
CleansingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialTocopherol
AntioxidantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Camellia Sinensis Extract
AntioxidantVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientHydrogenated Coconut Acid
EmollientParfum
MaskingGlycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Sorbitol, Rosa Damascena Callus, Maranta Arundinacea Root Extract, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Hydrogenated Coconut Acid, Parfum
Reviews
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 GlycerinMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps prevent unwanted effects and reactions from a product. These metal ions may come from water and are found in miniscule amounts.
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate can also help other preservatives be more effective.
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