What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Olivate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPanax Ginseng Extract
Antioxidant
Tremella Fuciformis Extract
Humectant
Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
Fructose
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingNephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sorbitan Olivate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate, Panax Ginseng Extract, Tremella Fuciformis Extract, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Glyceryl Stearate, Inulin, Fructose, Xanthan Gum, Nephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Niacinamide, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Cetearyl Alcohol, Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Caffeine, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Zinc Oxide 19.6%
Cosmetic Colorant
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Butyloctyl Salicylate
Skin Conditioning
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientMethyl Dihydroabietate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Salvia Officinalis Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Withania Somnifera Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Emulsifying
Zinc Oxide 19.6%, Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Diheptyl Succinate, Methyl Dihydroabietate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Salvia Officinalis Oil, Glycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Tocopherol, Bisabolol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Cellulose Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyhydroxystearic Acid
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 ButterCaprylhydroxamic Acid is a chelating agent that helps cosmetics stay fresh, stable, and consistent over time.
Chelating agents help prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps prevent unwanted reactions and effects from using the product. It also helps prevent the growth of unwanted microbes in products that contain water.
Caprylhydroxamic Acid is often used with natural antimicrobial products as an alternative to preservatives.
Learn more about Caprylhydroxamic AcidCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 GlycerinTocopherol 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
