What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientTheobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningPEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientSilica
AbrasiveMaranta Arundinacea Root Powder
Skin ConditioningBertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil
EmollientRosa Damascena Callus
AntimicrobialRosa Damascena Flower Oil
MaskingPelargonium Graveolens Oil
MaskingCitrus Limon Peel Oil
MaskingLycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
AstringentCyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCitronellol
PerfumingCoumarin
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingParfum
MaskingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Silica, Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil, Rosa Damascena Callus, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Citronellol, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Parfum
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningMusa Paradisiaca Fruit
AstringentAvena Sativa Kernel Extract
AbrasivePersea Gratissima Fruit Extract
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingParfum
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingCitrus Tangerina Peel Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingSantalum Album Oil
MaskingRosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingBoswellia Carterii Gum
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Musa Paradisiaca Fruit, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Persea Gratissima Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Parfum, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Santalum Album Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Boswellia Carterii Gum, Limonene, Linalool
Alternatives
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.
This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.
Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage.
Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin. Just know this one's based on experience and not evidence.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterLimonene is the compound that gives citrus peel its smell.
In skincare, it shows up as a standalone fragrance ingredient or as a natural compound of citrus and other essential oils.
You'll typically see this ingredient used in very small amounts; anything above 0.001% in a leave-on product or 0.01% in a rinse-off has to be named on the label in the EU. The citrus oils that carry it sit around 0.5-1% in a finished formula.
Fresh limonene is a weak allergen; the real issue is that it slowly reacts with air and then breaks down from oxidation to create hydroperoxides (which are strong sensitizers). This is why suppliers are required to keep the peroxide value below 20 mmol.
Positive reactions in people being investigated for eczema vary:
It's worth skipping if you have a known fragrance allergy or a compromised barrier, but the risk is low for most people.
Older or long-opened products are also more likely to bother you than fresh ones due to oxidation.
Learn more about LimoneneParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumThis ingredient is also known as sweet almond oil. It is a lightweight, cold-pressed oil from the ripe seeds of the sweet almond tree.
Sweet almond oil is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids such as oleic acid (55-86%) and linolenic acid (7-35%).
As an emollient, it softens and hydrates skin by forming a thin barrier that locks in moisture.
Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the available safety data and concluded it is safe for topical use.
Because of the oleic acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
This ingredient does have a comedogenic rating of 3, but this doesn't mean a formula with this ingredient will clog pores.
Human testing has proved that any finished product with a comedogenic ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis OilThis ingredient is also known as Cocoa butter; it's the fat pressed out of roasted cocoa beans.
Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature and melts right around body temperature, which is why it feels waxy in the jar and slippery on skin.
It has a very saturated profile (stearic acid ~34 to 36%, oleic acid ~30 to 40%, and palmitic acid ~24 to 29%) that makes it a strong occlusive: it sits on top and slows water escaping from skin.
Concentration data shows that it can show up anywhere from a few percent in lotions up to 100% in balms, and the FDA lists cocoa butter as an OTC skin protectant active at 50-100%.
The CIR has reviewed it and concluded it to be safe as used in cosmetics.
This is one of the ingredients with a comedogenic score of 4/5 from the rabbit ear test. Just know that a later human study did find that finished products containing high-comedogenic ingredients like cocoa butter did not increase microcomedone formation.
The fair call here is that this ingredient is most likely fine on body or low-percentage formulas, but can potentially be riskier as a heavy leave-on facial product if you break out easily.
Cocoa butter may not be fungal acne safe; it is a triglyceride of C16-18 fatty acids that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Allergies to cocoa butter are rare and uncommon, but a few cases have been documented (mostly in cases where the person ate chocolate). So if you have a tree nut allergy, be sure to patch test or avoid.
Learn more about Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter