What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Geranium Maculatum Oil
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Camellia Seed Oil
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Flour
Abrasive
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Lactoperoxidase
StabilisingGlucose Oxidase
StabilisingAlgae
Skin Conditioning
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Leaf Extract
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Echinacea Angustifolia Leaf Extract
MoisturisingCucumis Sativus Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract
AntimicrobialCalophyllum Tacamahaca Seed Oil
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Glyceryl Stearate, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide, Niacinamide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycerin, Camellia Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Flour, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Lactoperoxidase, Glucose Oxidase, Algae, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Echinacea Angustifolia Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Calophyllum Tacamahaca Seed Oil, Bisabolol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateJojoba 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.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil 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
