What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
BufferingGlycerin
HumectantButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningBrassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningGlycine
BufferingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientSilica
AbrasiveStearic Acid
CleansingAllantoin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Oleate
EmulsifyingSorbitan Tristearate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
EmulsifyingIsohexadecane
EmollientSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Lactate
BufferingMyristic Acid
CleansingPalmitic Acid
EmollientMannose
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantHydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientCitric Acid
BufferingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 80
EmulsifyingAcrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTocopherol
AntioxidantPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
AntioxidantChlorhexidine Digluconate
AntimicrobialWater, Urea, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Pentylene Glycol, Glycine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Silica, Stearic Acid, Allantoin, Sorbitan Oleate, Sorbitan Tristearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Isohexadecane, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lactate, Myristic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Mannose, Hydroxyacetophenone, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 80, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopherol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Water
Skin ConditioningUrea
BufferingEthylhexyl Stearate
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
EmollientC12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialPolyglyceryl-6 Distearate
EmulsifyingSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientDimethicone
EmollientJojoba Esters
EmollientNiacinamide
SmoothingCandelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters
EmulsifyingC15-19 Alkane
SolventPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePotassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Tocopherol
AntioxidantWater, Urea, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cyclopentasiloxane, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Jojoba Esters, Niacinamide, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, C15-19 Alkane, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Citric Acid, Lauryl Glucoside, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopherol
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 an effective skin hydrator and emollient.
Emollients help soothe and soften your skin. It does this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Shea butter is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free-radicals, or molecules that may harm the body. It is also full of fatty acids including stearic acid and linoleic acid. These acids help replenish the skin and keep skin moisturized.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
Shea butter may not be fungal acne safe. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetearyl alcohol is a mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is mainly used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent the separation of oils and products. Due to its composition, it can also be used to thicken a product or help create foam.
Cetearyl alcohol is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Studies show Cetearyl alcohol is non-toxic and non-irritating. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is usually derived from plant oils such as palm, vegetable, or coconut oils. There is debate on whether this ingredient will cause acne.
Due to the fatty acid base, this ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinTocopherol (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 TocopherolUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water