What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Honey
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates Copolymer
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin/Vp Copolymer
Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Pectin
Emulsion StabilisingParfum
Masking
Zingiber Officinale Root Oil
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Honey, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Maltodextrin/Vp Copolymer, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Pectin, Parfum, Zingiber Officinale Root Oil, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Adansonia Digitata Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil
Emollient
Acrylates Copolymer
Polyquaternium-11
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingLavandula Spica Herb Oil
Perfuming
Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Oil
Masking
Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil
Astringent
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Adansonia Digitata Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Acrylates Copolymer, Polyquaternium-11, Xanthan Gum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Aminomethyl Propanol, Lavandula Spica Herb Oil, Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerBenzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholThis 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 ButterCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerDehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
