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
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Cera Microcristallina
Emulsion Stabilising1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Paraffin
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Mannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Hexyl Laurate
Emollient
Rhamnose
HumectantSorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Polyacrylate
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAscorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
BHT
Antioxidant
Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, 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
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingPolyacrylate-13
Dimethicone
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polyisobutene
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Bran Extract
Abrasive
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Ceramide Complex
Glucose
Humectant
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Polyacrylate-13, Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Polyisobutene, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Ceramide Complex, Glucose
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 ButterDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinParaffinum 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 LiquidumSorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.
As an emulsifier, it keeps the water and oil ingredients from separating. This keeps formulas stable and smooth.
In a 24 hour occlusive patch test on 56 subjects, 10% sorbitan isostearate was completely non-irritating. Most formulas use less than 10%.
Because it's a fatty acid ester, it may not be fungal acne safe since the Malassezia yeast can utilize it as a nutrient source.
Learn more about Sorbitan IsostearateWater. 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 WaterXylitol is a humectant and prebiotic. It can help with dry skin.
In studies, xylitol has been shown to improve dry skin. It decreased transepidermal water loss, or when water passes through the skin and evaporates. Xylitol also showed to help improve the biomechanical properties of the skin barrier.
The prebiotic property of xylitol may also help reinforce our skin's natural microbiome. Having a healthy microbiome prevents infection by bad bacteria and helps with hydration.
As a humectant, Xylitol helps draw moisture from both the air and from deeper skin layers. This helps keep skin hydrated.
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and commonly used as a sugar substitute. It is naturally occurring in plants such as strawberries and pumpkin.
Learn more about Xylitol
