What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Isostearyl Isostearate
Emollient
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Dimethyl Isosorbide
SolventHydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane, Isostearyl Isostearate, Octyldodecanol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate, Lecithin, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
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 the small fraction of sunflower seed oil (~1.5-2% of the whole oil) that cannot be turned into soap.
This concentrated fraction is rich in skin-nourishing compounds like free fatty acids, tocopherols, and phytosterols. Linoleic acid makes up about 48-74% of its composition.
Unsaponifiables have high antioxidant potential due to the tocopherols, carotenoids, and phenolic acids that help protect skin from free radical damage. On the other hand, linoleic acid supports the skin's barrier by replenishing ceramides and reducing transepidermal water loss.
A manufacturer-sponsored clinical study found that a cream with 2% of this ingredient increased skin moisturization by 48.6% after 1 hour and 34.2% after 24 hours.
Using this cream twice-daily for 4 weeks showed meaningful improvement in dryness, roughness, and desquamation (the shedding of dead skin cells).
Keep in mind this is a small, industry-funded study so it'd be great to see independent replication. However, the mechanism is consistent with well-establish linoleic and phytosterol research.
While this ingredient is generally considered safe, those with an Asteraceae/Compositae plant allergy should patch test this ingredient.
Fungal acne: this ingredient is not considered safe for fungal acne because the Malassezia yeast preferentially metabolizes in the C11-24 range. Linoleic acid falls into this range at C18.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil UnsaponifiablesTocopherol 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 Tocopherol
