What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Sodium Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTripeptide-29
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin Conditioning
Tea-Stearate
CleansingSucrose Stearate
EmollientRosa Damascena Flower Water
Masking
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Carbomer, Tripeptide-29, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Tea-Stearate, Sucrose Stearate, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
Oleic Acid
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethyl Isosorbide
Solvent3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Krameria Triandra Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Emulsifying
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate
Emulsifying
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hexapeptide-11
Skin Conditioning
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Skin Protecting
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Chloroxylenol
Antimicrobial
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantLimonene
Perfuming
Water, Stearic Acid, Oleic Acid, Glycerin, Dimethyl Isosorbide, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Krameria Triandra Root Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexapeptide-11, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Jojoba Esters, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Cetyl Alcohol, Chloroxylenol, CI 42090, Limonene
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Carthamus tinctorius seed oil comes from safflower, one of humanity's oldest crops.
Safflower seed oil contains a high percentage of linoleic acid and oleic acid. It also contains Vitamin E. These three components are effective moisturizers.
Vitamin E helps nourish your skin's lipid barrier. It is also a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or unstable molecules that may damage your skin cells.
Due to its high fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be malassezia folliculitis safe.
Thoughout history, safflower has been used for dying fabrics and in food as a saffron substitute.
Learn more about Carthamus Tinctorius Seed OilCetyl 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 Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitrateHydrogenated Lecithin is a more stable version of lecithin.
It's made by taking lecithin (a phospholipid commonly found in soybeans and egg yolks) and hydrogenating it. This just means the unsaturated fatty acids are turned into saturated ones so they don't go bad as easily.
This ingredient is an emollient, emulsifier, and penetration enhancer. As an emollient, it helps soften and hydrate skin by trapping moisture within. As an emulsifier, it prevents oil and water ingredients from separating.
Hydrogenated Lecithin can form tiny spherical structures made of phospholipid bilayers called liposomes. These liposomes are able to capture compounds inside their structure and deliver them through the skin barrier.
Because phospholipids are a natural component of our cell membranes, this ingredient is inherently compatible with skin.
A 2021 study found lecithin-based surfactants were less harsh and more tolerable comared to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).
Learn more about Hydrogenated LecithinStearic 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 AcidTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
