What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Colloidal Oatmeal
Absorbent
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Honey
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Chamomilla Recutita Oil
Masking
Calendula Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Optiphen
Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Olivate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Olivate, Colloidal Oatmeal, Stearic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Honey, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chamomilla Recutita Oil, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Optiphen
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientTridecyl Stearate
Emollient
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
C12-15 Alkyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Tridecyl Trimellitate
EmollientMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Citrate
BufferingAdenosine
Skin Conditioning
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Methylpropanediol
SolventGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Silanetriol
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Niacinamide, Cetyl Esters, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Propanediol, Saccharide Isomerate, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Tridecyl Stearate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, C12-15 Alkyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Chlorphenesin, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Citrate, Adenosine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Methylpropanediol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Silanetriol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
This 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 ButterGlycerin (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 StearateStearic 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 AcidWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
