What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Stearate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Sodium Lactate
Buffering
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tapioca Starch
Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate
Emulsifying
Carnitine
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Histidine
Humectant
Alanine
Masking
Citrulline
Skin ConditioningLysine
Skin ConditioningSerine
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Chloride
MaskingMannitol
Humectant
Sucrose
Humectant
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Threonine
Glycogen
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Arginine
Masking
PCA
Humectant
Water, Urea, Glycerin, Isopropyl Stearate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glyceryl Glucoside, Sodium Lactate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tapioca Starch, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Carnitine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceramide NP, Arginine Hcl, Sodium PCA, Histidine, Alanine, Citrulline, Lysine, Serine, Lactic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Mannitol, Sucrose, Glutamic Acid, Threonine, Glycogen, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Arginine, PCA
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distarch Phosphate
AbsorbentGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Glycine
Buffering
Arginine Hcl
Skin ConditioningDecylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningPolyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAscorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Trisodium EDTA
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Octyldodecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Behenyl Alcohol, Distarch Phosphate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Glycyrrhiza Inflata Root Extract, Ceramide NP, Tocopherol, Sodium PCA, Glycine, Arginine Hcl, Decylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Carbomer, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Trisodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
We don't have a description for Arginine Hcl yet.
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 ButterCeramide NP (formerly known as Ceramide 3) is one of the skin's naturally occurring lipids.
Since ceramides are the major lipid components of the skin, they are crucial for maintaining skin barrier and hydration. Ceramide NP most closely mirrors the dominant kind in human skin amongst ceramide subtypes.
This ceramide works by slotting into gaps within the stratum corneum's lipid matrix to limit trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and shield the skin against external irritants.
A study with 312 patients found that using a ceramide-containing routine for 4 weeks reduced the severity of atopic dermatitis by over 61%.
Another clinical study in subjects aged 60 and older found that a ceramide body wash and moisturizer improved skin dryness and itchy skin in 15 days.
Overall, ceramides are considered non-irritating and safety tests have found little to no observable adverse effects from using this ingredient.
Ceramide NP is usually sourced from plants (like soybean or rice bran), or produced synthetically.
Learn more about Ceramide NPGlycerin (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 PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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
