What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
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Benefits
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Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingBehentrimonium Methosulfate
SurfactantCetyl Alcohol
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningCannabis Sativa Seed Oil
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningMel
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
EmollientOenothera Biennis Oil
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientAlgae
Skin ConditioningBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicDimethyl Sulfone
SolventTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantMentha Piperita Oil
MaskingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Panthenol, Mel, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Algae, Biotin, Dimethyl Sulfone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mentha Piperita Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientStearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingBehentrimonium Methosulfate
SurfactantCyclotetrasiloxane
EmollientDimethiconol
EmollientRicinus Communis Seed Oil
MaskingCroton Zambesicus Powder
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Croton Zambesicus Powder, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid
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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.
Behentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateThis ingredient is also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.
The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.
A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.
Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.
It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.
Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.
Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.
Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".
Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).
The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.
Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).
Learn more about Cocos Nucifera OilGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent 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.
Jojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilWater. 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