What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Avium Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Punica Granatum Seed Oil
Emollient
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Dunaliella Salina Extract
Skin ConditioningDaucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Citral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Seeds
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Avium Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Seeds
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
You may know this ingredient as argan oil. It has emollient and skin conditioning properties that help soften skin and reinforce the lipid barrier.
The fatty acid profile of argan oil is roughly 45-55% oleic acid, 28-36% linoleic acid, 10-15% palmitic acid, and 5-7% stearic acid. It also contains vitamin E, sterols, squalene, and polyphenols like ferulic acid.
Two clinical studies in postmenopausal women found that applying argan oil for 60 days significantly improved skin elasticity and moisturization (reduced transepidermal water loss and increased epidermal water content).
Since it is high in oleic and linoleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Both of these fall in the C11-C24 range that Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Argania Spinosa Kernel OilThis ingredient is also known as olive oil. It has been used in skincare for centuries and science largely backs up its reputation as a nourishing emollient.
The main components of olive oil are oleic acid (55-83%), linoleic acid (3.5-20%), and palmitic acid (7-20%). Oleic acid promotes skin regeneration and helps regulate inflammatory responses.
Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.
Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.
It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).
Because it has a 0-2 on the comedogenic scale, it is low risk for acne-prone skin. Just remember the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.
Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.
Learn more about Olea Europaea Fruit 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.
This ingredient 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.
This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 0-3, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores. Human testing has proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima OilThis ingredient is also known as sweet almond oil. It is a lightweight, cold-pressed oil from the ripe seeds of the sweet almond tree.
Sweet almond oil is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids such as oleic acid (55-86%) and linolenic acid (7-35%).
As an emollient, it softens and hydrates skin by forming a thin barrier that locks in moisture.
Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the available safety data and concluded it is safe for topical use.
Because of the oleic acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 3, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores.
Human testing has proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis OilThis ingredient is also known as Apricot kernel oil, and it comes form the seed kernels of apricot (a member of the Rosaceae family like almond, peach, cherry, and plum).
It's mostly made up of triglycerides: oleic acid (43.9-78.5%), linoleic acid (9.7-37%), and palmitic acid (4.9-7.3%). These numbers vary depending on the variety of Prunus and the ripeness of the fruit; oleic tends to go up at late harvest while linoleic goes down.
Vitamin E is also prevalent in this ingredient and the most dominant form is gamma-tocopherol.
These compounds give the ingredient emollient and skin conditioning properties that keep the skin soft and hydrated.
There's no regulatory maximum cap for this ingredient so you'll see it across a huge concentration range (100% as a single ingredient facial oil).
On allergies: refined cosmetic-grade oils carry almost no protein. The CIR notes that people allergic to a food generally do not react to the refined oil because the allergenic protein does not partition into it (though cold-pressed grades retain more).
However, it's worth patch testing if you have a stone fruit or tree nut allergy because manufacturer processes for removing the protein can vary.
Malassezia lacks the cytosolic fatty acid synthase gene so the yeast cannot make palmitate on its own and instead uses lipases and phospholipases to release fatty acids from host lipids. Since apricot kernel oil is entirely C16-18 (right in the usable range of C11-24), this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Old rabbit-ear testing did assign this ingredient a comedogenic rating of 1-2. The original author has stated that testing on rabbit ears is not an ideal model for human comedogenicity.
Human testing has proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.
Just know high-oleic oils tend to feel heavier on oily skin so it's worth patch testing.
Learn more about Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
