What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningC15-19 Alkane
SolventNiacinamide
Smoothing
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Silica
Abrasive
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tin Oxide
Abrasive
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingArachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBehenyl Alcohol
Emollient
2-Mercaptonicotinoyl Glycine
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine
HumectantSodium Thiosulfate
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Exfoliating
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate
Emulsion StabilisingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingPentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantMica
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
Masking
Water, C15-19 Alkane, Niacinamide, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Silica, Titanium Dioxide, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tin Oxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Behenyl Alcohol, 2-Mercaptonicotinoyl Glycine, Sodium Dilauramidoglutamide Lysine, Sodium Thiosulfate, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Phenoxyethanol, CI 14700, Mica, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningBis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine
Skin Conditioning
Alcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Ethylhexyl Triazone
UV Absorber
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
UV Absorber
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Diisopropyl Adipate
EmollientDicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialDiisopropyl Sebacate
EmollientC12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer
StabilisingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate
Stabilising
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate
UV Filter
Drometrizole Trisiloxane
UV Absorber
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid
UV Absorber
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Triethanolamine
BufferingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Water, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Alcohol Denat., Ethylhexyl Triazone, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Isopropyl Palmitate, Diisopropyl Adipate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Glycerin, Propanediol, Isopropyl Myristate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diisopropyl Sebacate, C12-22 Alkyl Acrylate/Hydroxyethylacrylate Copolymer, Tocopherol, Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate, Pentylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Hydroxyacetophenone, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Triethanolamine, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
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 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 ButterCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCitric 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 (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 GlycerinHydroxyacetophenone is a small phenolic molecule that earns its place in a formulas as an antioxidant and preservative booster.
As a phenol, it is able to neutralize free radicals to protect both the product and the skin from oxidative stress.
Though it can't kill microbes on its own, it works as a good supporting agent when combined with other preservatives like Phenoxyethanol or 1,2-Hexanediol.
This ingredient naturally occurs as piceol in Norwegian spruce needles (~0.4-1.1% dry weight and in cloudberries). Though the cosmetic-grade material is synthesized for purity and consistency.
You'll usually see it used at low levels and suppliers recommend up to 1% added to a water phase.
Safety testing was done at concentrations like 0.05% in SPF products and 0.5% in a Human Repeated Insult Patch Test. The safety evidence is assuring; this ingredient is safe for cosmetics in current use and also holds safety status as a food flavoring as well.
An honest caveat: the "soothing" and "anti-inflammatory" claims come mostly from supplier marketing rather than published clinical trials. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review's own literature search found no useful efficacy studies on this ingredient.
So the antioxidant and preservative-boosting roles are the well supported ones while the calming benefit is plausible but thinly evidenced.
Overall, this is a well-tolerated, low-irritation multitasker that quietly helps a formula stay fresh and stable.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenonePentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate is used to help stabilize a product.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it helps prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This prevents unwanted reactions in products. Metal ions can come into a product via the water ingredient. They are found in trace amounts and are not known to be harmful.
Water. 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
