What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPalmitoyl Tetrapeptide-1
Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Allium Sativum Bulb Extract
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Yeast Ferment Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Caprylyl Glycol, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Panthenol, Carbomer, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Polysorbate 20, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allium Sativum Bulb Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Yeast Ferment Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Petrolatum
Emollient
Distearyldimonium Chloride
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Colloidal Oatmeal
Absorbent
Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Tetrapeptide-21
Skin Conditioning
Myristoyl Pentapeptide-11
Skin Conditioning
Polymethyl Methacrylate
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Benzalkonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Distearyldimonium Chloride, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Colloidal Oatmeal, Ophiopogon Japonicus Root Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Glucan, Tetrapeptide-21, Myristoyl Pentapeptide-11, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Maltodextrin, Benzalkonium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Benzyl Alcohol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Beta-Glucan is a polysaccharide. It can be derived from the cell walls of seaweed, oats, yeast, and fungi. It hydrates the skin and helps boost your skin's natural barrier.
As an antioxidant, beta-glucan helps fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Studies show this ingredient may be an effective wrinkle reducer as it can deeply penetrate into skin. It has also been show to help with wound healing.
Learn more about Beta-GlucanButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolThis 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 ButterCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinRetinyl palmitate is a form of retinoid. Retinoids are the superstar class of anti-aging ingredients that include tretinoin and retinol.
This particular ingredient has had a bumpy year with its rise and fall in popularity.
First, Retinyl palmitate is created from palmitic acid and retinol. It is a retinol ester and considered one of the weaker forms of retinoid.
This is because all retinoids have to be converted to Tretinoin, AKA retinoic acid. Retinyl Palmitate is pretty far down the line and has to go through multiple conversions before its effects are seen.
Due to this long and ineffective conversion line, the benefits of Retinyl Palmitate are debated.
Studies show Retinyl Palmitate to help:
Dermatologists say this ingredient is ineffective because it isn't used in high enough concentrations in cosmetics.
This ingredient used to be found in sunscreens to boost the efficacy of sunscreen filters.
The downfall of Retinyl Palmitate was due to released reports about the ingredient being correlated to sun damage and skin tumors.
While there is a study showing this ingredient to cause DNA damage when exposed to UV-A, there is no concrete proof of it being linked to skin cancer. It is safe to use when used correctly.
All retinoids increase your skin's sensitivity to the sun in the first few months of usage. Be especially careful with reapplying sunscreen when using any form of retinoid.
Currently, this ingredient is still allowed in cosmetics all over the world. In Canada, cosmetics must have a warning label stating the product to contain Retinyl Palmitate
Fun fact: This ingredient is often added to low-fat milk to increase the levels of Vitamin A.
Learn more about Retinyl PalmitateTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
