What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantStearic Acid
CleansingCetyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingGlycerin
HumectantAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningSesamum Indicum Seed Oil
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientCetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Glycerin, Allantoin, Panthenol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 20, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
CleansingOleic Acid
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantDimethyl Isosorbide
Solvent3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin ConditioningKrameria Triandra Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingPolyglyceryl-6 Distearate
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Stearate
EmulsifyingEucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
PerfumingHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingHexapeptide-11
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Digitata Extract
Skin ProtectingJojoba Esters
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Beeswax
EmulsifyingCetyl Alcohol
EmollientChloroxylenol
AntimicrobialCI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantLimonene
PerfumingWater, Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid, Glycerin, Dimethyl Isosorbide, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Krameria Triandra Root Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexapeptide-11, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Jojoba Esters, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Cetyl Alcohol, Chloroxylenol, CI 42090, Limonene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil comes from the seeds of the safflower plant. It is a skin conditioning agent that helps soften skin and keep it hydrated.
This seed oil has an unusual fatty acid profile: it is one of the highest linoleic acid plant oils out there (~55-77%). It also has low amounts of oleic acid, and this high-linoleic/low-oleic ratio gets people excited.
Linoleic acid helps maintain skin barrier integrity and is a building block for the ceramides in your stratum corneum. Notably, people with acne tend to have lower linoleic acid in their skin lipids as well (and this gets worse as acne gets more severe).
Overall, it's a lightweight, fast-absorbing oil that has a long safety track record. Lab testing has found it to be non-irritating for skin or eyes.
The Malassezia yeast can metabolize the fatty acids in this oil to grow; therefore this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Carthamus Tinctorius Seed OilCetyl 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.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitrateStearic 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 AcidTocopheryl 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