What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycolic Acid
Buffering
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract
AstringentPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingPEG-100 Stearate
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingAcer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Medica Limonum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Glycolic Acid, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Salicylic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit/Leaf Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, PEG-100 Stearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroacetic Acid, Parfum
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Resveratrol
Antioxidant
Ubiquinone
Antioxidant
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Riboflavin
Cosmetic ColorantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningEthyl Apricot Kernelate
EmollientVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Glyceryl Laurate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Resveratrol, Ubiquinone, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Xanthan Gum, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Riboflavin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ethyl Apricot Kernelate, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinBisabolol is a gentle skin conditioner, antioxidant, and soothing ingredient.
It's primary claim to fame is soothing and research shows topically applied bisabolol can quiet the chemical messengers that cause your skin to become inflamed, helping to sooth any irritation.
A clinical study found that applying 0.5% bisabolol daily for 8 weeks produced an average 9% decrease in skin pigmentation. Researchers found it can also suppress the process that leads to excess melanin production in skin.
In vitro studies found that bisabolol combined with propylene glycol significantly increased skin permeability by increasing lipid fluidity in the stratum corneum.
You'll likely see use concentrations quite low, usually 0.1-0.2%.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated ingredient that works well in formulas designed for sensitive, reactive, or post-procedure skin.
Learn more about BisabololThis 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateJojoba 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 OilSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
