Cantu Shea Butter For Natural Hair Coconut Curling Cream Versus Cantu Avocado Hydrating Curling Cream

The sterol content is pretty interesting:

In a controlled human study, a single application of canola oil and especially its sterol-enriched fraction reduced visible irritation, redness, and water loss caused by SLS. Plain canola oil and most other tested oils did little on healthy, un-irritated skin.

It's pretty much just a calm, moisturizing oil that helps with soothing if your skin is already irritated.

Fun fact: Canadian growers bred the low-erucic variety in the 1970's, and the name stands for "Canadian oil, Low Acid").

Since canola oil is made up of C18 fatty acids, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on chain lengths C11-24.

This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.

Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin.

Typical use ranges from 0.5-30%. Most leave-on products are in the 1-10% zone.

The 20 ethylene oxide units is well above the PEG-10 threshold and therefore not a food source for Malassezia (it's fungal acne safe).

This ingredient has a comedogenic rating of 2 and an irritancy rating of 3. These numbers come from testing the raw ingredient on rabbit ears and doesn't reflect how it will behave in a finished product.

In practice, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient. The ratings reflect cautious lab conditions and not real-world use. Just be sure to patch test any formulas you feel unsure about.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Typical use levels run pretty low: around 0.2-3% in leave on products and 0.04-4% in rinse off products. Some formulations go up to 5% in solid emulsifier blends.

On safety, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) panel evaluated the whole Ceteth family and concluded they're safe as used.

All studies done on this ingredient are in vitro or animal; carrot seed essential oil has been shown to speed up wound closure in rats. Cell culture has also shown it to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activity against gram-positive bacteria.

There is a myth going around that this ingredient has an SPF of 38-40. It traces back to a 2009 paper that tested multi-ingredient herbal sunscreen and not just this oil. When tested properly, carrot seed oil measured SPF 0.1 in vitro and 2.5 in vivo. Please do not treat this ingredient as sun protection!

Allergies are documented but uncommon and most of the documented cases come from canning factory workers. It's safe to patch test if you have botanical sensitivities or allergies.

The essential oil version of this ingredient is a terpene-rich fragrance material so those with fragrance sensitivities should also patch test.

There is a published case of phytophotodermatitis after use of a carrot extract-containing sunscreen that presented as a hyperpigmented patch. This is because Apiaceae plants can carry furanocoumarins.

Carrot is in the same plant family as celery and parsley, which contain furanocoumarins. These are compounds that can make skin more reactive to sunlight.

Carrots themselves have very little of them (usually only trace amounts) and the steam-distilled version shouldn't carry them at all since they're too heavy to come through distillation.

If you're using a leave-on product with it during the day, wearing sunscreen covers it.

This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.

Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage.

Some people still find it breaks them out due to the fatty acid profile. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin.

The Malassezia yeast feeds on long-chain fatty acids (C11-24). The fatty acids in this ingredient fall right into that range, making it not fungal acne safe.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

On top of that, soybean oil is rich in vitamins like vitamin E, a potent antioxidant.

Research on soybean's active components also point to anti-inflammatory, collagen-stimulating, antioxidant activity, and protection against UV-induced oxidative damage.

Most of this research applies to the broader soybean plant and not just the oil fraction alone.

This ingredient does carry a comedogenic rating of 3 from the old rabbit-ear assay. Just remember testing finished products in humans showed that formulas built with "comedogenic" ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic themselves. It's worth patch testing if you're breakout prone, and always listen to your skin.

Because this ingredient is a saturated triglyceride, it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because Malassezia breaks down sebum triglycerides into fatty acids it can consume, making this ingredient a possible source for the yeast.

Hexyl Cinnamal is not water soluble but is soluble in oils.

Due to the origins of this ingredient, it is not vegan. Silk is an animal product from silkworms.

Depending on the source, this ingredient can be considered cruelty-free. It is created from left-over cocoons of silkworms. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about where their hydrolyzed silk comes from.

Here's what the research shows:

In-vitro shows it calms inflammation signals; the most skin-relevant study put a kelp extract on human skin cells and then hit them with inflammatory triggers. The kelp-treated cells produced less of the inflammatory messenger molecules that normally get released.

In a realistic 3D model of skin, the pre-treated tissue held onto its cell-to-cell "seals" better and leaked less water (basically the lab version of a strong vs. weak skin barrier).

Two honest notes: the seal effect only showed up in the 3D model and at higher doses the extract started harming the cells (so more might not be better)

Fucoidan is why kelp gets talked about; it's the sulfated sugar molecule that brands like to name-drop. When four fucoidans were compared, the one from Macrocystis pyrifera was the most active. Just know this was from immune research and not skincare research.

On real people, the numbers look good (with an asterisk). The strongest evidence is all on Macrocystis Pyrifera Ferment inside one company's finished serum and not the plain extract.

Using it twice daily for eight weeks raised skin moisture 16 percent and cut water loss through the skin by 11 percent. A stripping test that repeatedly tapes and peels the skin surface found treated skin held up 30 percent better.

The standout result: half the face was prepped for three weeks and then the whole face got a 70 percent glycolic peel. The prepped side had recovered 71 percent of its barrier versus 23 percent untreated two hours later. A separate review also reported less visible redness and improvement in visible aging measures.

Three asterisk: It's the ferment, not the extract. The kelp isn't necessarily doing all the work since it's the whole formula. And it was funded by The Estée Lauder Companies with several authors on staff.

There's no fixed concentration published for this ingredient but real-world use survey shows this ingredient can be used up to 36%. There's an extra wrinkle for leave-on products since these extracts are usually supplier pre-diluted in water, glycerin, or propanediol.So "5%" on the bottle might mean under 1% for actual kelp solids.

On allergies: kelp is naturally iodine-rich, so people with a known iodine or seafood ingredient sensitivity should patch test.

You'll see algae listed as a 5/5 on a lot of pore-clogging charts and that number doesn't come from anywhere; it's not in the original rabbit-ear studies that most comedogenic ratings trace back to.

The reasoning behind the reputation is that seaweed is high in iodine and iodine can trigger acne-like breakouts when eaten. This traces back to a 1976 letter in Archives of Dermatology describing two women whose breakouts cleared after they stopped taking high-dose kelp supplements orally.

And the reaction of these two women wasn't clogged pores at all: it was an iodine-triggered pustular rash. Later research found normal dietary iodine doesn't meaningfully affect acne either and nobody has shown topical algae delivers enough iodine to matter.

What we do have is dozens of brown and red algae ingredients found to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing, and a handful of studies that found algae compounds may actually help acne.

However, plenty of people do report breaking out from algae-containing products. Skin is individual and it's worth avoiding if yours has reacted to algae before.

The fatty acid makeup of mango seed butter makes it special; it's typically rich in stearic acid and oleic acid, with small amounts of palmitic and linoleic acid.

This combo helps it melt on skin, feel creamy, and leave behind a protective "seal" that slows down water loss.

It also contains a small amount of "extras" like tocopherols (vitamin E) and phytosterols, which are often used to support skin soothing.

Due to its fatty acid content (like oleic acid), this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. In vitro studies have shown that Oleic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.

Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.

The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.

Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.

It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).

Because it has a 0-2 on the comedogenic scale, it is low risk for acne-prone skin. Just remember the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.

Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Due to its high molecular weight, PEG-75 has limited skin penetration and remains mostly on the surface.

Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.

The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.

The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.

This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 0-3, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores. Human testing has proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.

Pro tip: Use occlusives, such as this ingredient, on damp skin for the best results.

The quality or origin of petrolatum is only known when disclosed by the brand. Most cosmetic petrolatum has gone through several purification stages.

Another benefit of occlusives is it protects your skin against infection or allergies.

Petrolatum is fungal acne safe. It is a hydrocarbon with no fatty acid structure, so Malassezia cannot metabolize it. In-vitro studies support negligible growth stimulation as well.

It's also worth noting that petrolatum has a comedogenic rating of 0. In updated rabbit ear testing (and in human testing), petrolatum was found to be not comedogenic. This means it didn’t promote comedone formation in standard models.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

For haircare friends: this ingredient is not a silicone.

As an emollient, it softens and hydrates skin by forming a thin barrier that locks in moisture.

Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the available safety data and concluded it is safe for topical use.

Because of the oleic acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 3, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores.

Human testing has proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.

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.

Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals by donating extra electrons. Grape seed extract may help reduce the signs of aging.

The antimicrobial properties of grape seed may help treat acne. However, more research is needed to support this claim.

Grape seed has also been found to help absorb UV rays. Grape seed extract should not replace your sunscreen.

Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Antioxidants help stabilize free-radicals by donating extra electrons. Grape seed extract may help reduce the signs of aging.

The antimicrobial properties of grape seed may help treat acne. However, more research is needed to support this claim.

Grape seed has also been found to help absorb UV rays. Grape seed extract should not replace your sunscreen.

The fatty acids of grape seed oil give it emollient properties. Emollients help soothe and soften your skin by creating a film. This film traps moisture within, keeping your skin hydrated.

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!