What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Cocoglycerides
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydrogenated Didecene
Skin ConditioningVp/Hexadecene Copolymer
Butyrospermum Parkii Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientOctyldodecyl Isostearate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
BHT
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Parfum, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Cocoglycerides, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Didecene, Vp/Hexadecene Copolymer, Butyrospermum Parkii Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Octyldodecyl Isostearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, CI 77891
Water
Skin ConditioningParaffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Water, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Carbomer, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides, Sodium Hydroxide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Disodium EDTA, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Copper Gluconate
Reviews
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 ButterCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerCetyl 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 AlcoholDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
