What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTartaric Acid
Buffering
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Eugenol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Persea Gratissima Oil, Xanthan Gum, Tartaric Acid, Cetyl Esters, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Salicylic Acid, Eugenol, Coumarin, Limonene, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Emulsifying Wax Nf
Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ocimum Basilicum Oil
Masking
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Hyssopus Officinalis Extract
MaskingSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax Nf, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Panthenol, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Hyssopus Officinalis Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
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 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 GlycerinGlycine Soja Oil comes from the soybean. Glycine Soja is native to eastern Asia.
Soybean oil is an emollient. It is rich in antioxidants and fatty acids including palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
As an emollient, the fatty acids in soybean oil helps keep your skin soft and hydrated. It does so by creating a film on top that traps moisture in.
Soybean oil is also rich in vitamin E, a potent antioxidant. Vitamin E is also anti-inflammatory and provides a soothing effect.
Studies show soy may help fade hyperpigmentation from UVB. It does so by disrupting the melanin process from UVB induced skin inflammation.
This ingredient may not be malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne, safe.
Soybeans are rich in proteins and are part of the legume family. Foods made with soybeans include tofu, soymilk, edamame, miso, and soy sauce.
Learn more about Glycine Soja OilThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
