What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
EmollientCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientSorbeth-30 Tetraoleate
EmulsifyingPolyethylene
AbrasiveHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientC13-15 Alkane
SolventTrihydroxystearin
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
MaskingCamellia Japonica Seed Oil
EmollientOenothera Biennis Oil
EmollientOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientGluconolactone
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Polyethylene, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, C13-15 Alkane, Trihydroxystearin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Tocopherol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Gluconolactone
Paraffinum Liquidum
EmollientEthylhexyl Stearate
EmollientCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingPEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingPolyethylene
AbrasiveC13-15 Alkane
SolventOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingPEG-10 Isostearate
EmulsifyingTrihydroxystearin
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
MaskingSalicylic Acid
MaskingArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientCamellia Japonica Seed Oil
EmollientPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientMentha Piperita Oil
MaskingParaffinum Liquidum, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Polyethylene, C13-15 Alkane, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, PEG-10 Isostearate, Trihydroxystearin, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Salicylic Acid, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Mentha Piperita 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.
C13-15 Alkane is a group of alkanes with 13 to 15 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain.
It is a solvent and texture enhancer. Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil comes from the Japanese Camellia plant. This plant is native to East Asia and known as "Tsubaki" in Japanese.
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil is rich in oleic acid. This makes it a great emollient. Emollients help soften and soothe the skin by forming a barrier. This barrier traps moisture within, keeping your skin hydated.
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is the oil from the bergamot orange and is primarily used as a fragrance. It has a "fresh" and "bright orange" scent.
The main aroma compounds found in this ingredient are limonene (~27-52%), linalool (~2-22%), and linalyl acetate (~27-40%). These are known EU fragrance allergens.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
When used topically, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is a photosensitizer due to the furanocoumarin content. Furanocoumarins absorb UV-A and cause phytophotodermatitis; this can look like redness, blistering, and lasting brown pigmentation on sun-exposed skin.
Due to this, this ingredient is capped at 0.4% in leave-on products applied to sun exposed skin.
Many modern formulas used a "furanocoumarin-free" version that sidesteps the phototoxicity issue, but still contains the fragrance allergens.
Learn more about Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit OilCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil is oil from the peel of an orange fruit.
Limonene and linalool make up the majority of oils from citrus peels. Limonene has a "citrus" fragrance. Citrus peels also contain flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties.
Citrus peel is also a rich source of flavonoids. Flavonoids are natural antioxidants and help protect your skin against damage. Flavonoids are a group of compounds naturally found in vegetables and fruits.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel OilLavandula Angustifolia Oil is more commonly known as lavender essential oil. It is considered a fragrancing ingredient.
Lavender imparts a famous scent. While the smell is lovely, this ingredient and may sensitize skin in topical products. This is because about 85% of the oil is made up of linalool and linalyl acetate.
When exposed to air, these two compounds become strong allergens. This ingredient exhibits cytotoxicity at low concentrations; amounts of 0.25% have been shown to damage skin cells.
A study from Japan found this ingredient caused lavender sensitivity after widespread exposure.
Lavender essential oil has some antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the cons of this ingredient may outweight the pros.
More research is needed to confirm lavender essential oil's effects when used in aromatherapy.
Lavandula Angustifolia is known as the English Lavender and famous for creating purple fields in Provence, France.
Learn more about Lavandula Angustifolia 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 2-3 on the comedogenic scale, it is a moderate risk for acne-prone skin. However, 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 OilPolyethylene is a synthetic ingredient that helps the skin retain moisture. It is a polymer.
It is also typically used within product formulations to help bind solid ingredients together and thicken oil-based ingredients. When added to balms and emulsions, it helps increase the melting point temperature.
This ingredient is the oil from the apricot.
Apricot Kernel Oil is an emollient and helps soften skin. This is due to its fatty acid components. Some of these fatty acids include linoleic and oleic acid.
This ingredient also has antioxidant properties from Vitamins A, C, and E. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. Besides being antioxidants, these vitamins provide plenty of skin benefits as well.
Learn more about Prunus Armeniaca Kernel OilJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilThis ingredient comes from Hydroxystearic Acid, a fatty acid, and glycerin. It is used to thicken oils.
Due to its fatty acid content, it is a natural emollient.
Creating trihydroxystearin involves using a chemical reaction between hydrogen and castor oil.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Trihydroxystearin