What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCaprylhydroxamic Acid
ChelatingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Squalane
Emollient
Emblica Officinalis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPassiflora Edulis Seed Oil
Emollient
Palmitoyl Camellia Sinensis Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behentrimonium Chloride
Preservative
Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Squalane, Emblica Officinalis Fruit Extract, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Camellia Sinensis Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Parfum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Panthenol, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Ceramide Ns, Ceramide AP
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
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.
Learn more about ParfumSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateThis ingredient is also known as Cocoa butter; it's the fat pressed out of roasted cocoa beans.
Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature and melts right around body temperature, which is why it feels waxy in the jar and slippery on skin.
It has a very saturated profile (stearic acid ~34 to 36%, oleic acid ~30 to 40%, and palmitic acid ~24 to 29%) that makes it a strong occlusive: it sits on top and slows water escaping from skin.
Concentration data shows that it can show up anywhere from a few percent in lotions up to 100% in balms, and the FDA lists cocoa butter as an OTC skin protectant active at 50-100%.
The CIR has reviewed it and concluded it to be safe as used in cosmetics.
This is one of the ingredients with a comedogenic score of 4/5 from the rabbit ear test. Just know that a later human study did find that finished products containing high-comedogenic ingredients like cocoa butter did not increase microcomedone formation.
The fair call here is that this ingredient is most likely fine on body or low-percentage formulas, but can potentially be riskier as a heavy leave-on facial product if you break out easily.
Cocoa butter may not be fungal acne safe; it is a triglyceride of C16-18 fatty acids that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Allergies to cocoa butter are rare and uncommon, but a few cases have been documented (mostly in cases where the person ate chocolate). So if you have a tree nut allergy, be sure to patch test or avoid.
Learn more about Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
