What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingPolymethylsilsesquioxane
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Toluene Sulfonic Acid
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarnosine
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantWater, Glycerin, Squalane, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Dimethicone, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polysorbate 20, Tocopherol, Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester, Allantoin, Toluene Sulfonic Acid, Dimethiconol, Xanthan Gum, Carnosine, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
Water
Skin ConditioningVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Propanediol Dicaprylate
EmollientC12-16 Alcohols
EmollientGossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate
EmollientPolyamide-5
Skin ConditioningVaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Juglans Regia Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil
Masking
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Rhizobian Gum
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingChlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingBenzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Propanediol Dicaprylate, C12-16 Alcohols, Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, Polyamide-5, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil, Xylitylglucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Palmitic Acid, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Xylitol, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Juglans Regia Seed Extract, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Fruit Extract, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Rhizobian Gum, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Chlorphenesin, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Farnesol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool
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 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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can also help thicken or stabilize a product.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolTocopherol 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
