What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil is also known as cottonseed oil; like most seed oils, it works as a simple emollient that softens skin, smooths rough texture, and slows water loss.
Its fatty acid mix is roughly linoleic (~45%) and oleic (~30%) and palmitic acid (~21%). It sits in the "linoleic-rich" camp alongside oils like sunflower seed oil.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review has looked at it multiple times and concluded it as safe as used in cosmetics as long as suppliers follow residue limits.
Usage sits anywhere from tiny amounts to about 32%; industry reports show concentrations run from 0.08% to 32% in leave-on products and 0.004% to 29% in rinse off products.
Formulas containing 3.4%-8.97% were found to be not irritating ina nimal testing.
This ingredient does carry a comedogenic rating of 3 from the old rabbit-ear assay. Just remember testing finished products in humans showed that formulas built with "comedogenic" ingredients are not necessarily comedogenic themselves. It's worth patch testing if you're breakout prone, and always listen to your skin.
Since the Malassezia yeast can metabolize the oil's C16-18 fatty acids, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Cottonseed protein is a potent allergy when eaten or inhaled; this ingredient is the oil and not that protein; the protein doesn't usually end up in the refined oil for cosmetic use but it's best to patch-test since manufacturer quality differs around the world. Unrefined or cold-pressed versions of this oil are also more likely to retain protein.
Learn more about Gossypium Herbaceum Seed OilThis ingredient is also known as olive oil. It has been used in skincare for centuries and science largely backs up its reputation as a nourishing emollient.
The main components of olive oil are oleic acid (55-83%), linoleic acid (3.5-20%), and palmitic acid (7-20%). Oleic acid promotes skin regeneration and helps regulate inflammatory responses.
Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.
Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.
It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).
Because it has a 0-2 on the comedogenic scale, it is low risk for acne-prone skin. Just remember the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.
Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.
Learn more about Olea Europaea Fruit OilPetrolatum is more commonly known as petroleum jelly. It is created by mixing waxes and mineral oils.
This ingredient is effective at reducing water loss by 99%. This is because it is an occlusive. Occlusives create a hydrophobic barrier on the skin to prevent evaporation. This property makes it great for hydrating dry skin.
Pro tip: Use occlusives, such as this ingredient, on damp skin for the best results.
The quality or origin of petrolatum is only known when disclosed by the brand. Most cosmetic petrolatum has gone through several purification stages.
Another benefit of occlusives is it protects your skin against infection or allergies.
Petrolatum is fungal acne safe. It is a hydrocarbon with no fatty acid structure, so Malassezia cannot metabolize it. In-vitro studies support negligible growth stimulation as well.
It's also worth noting that petrolatum has a comedogenic rating of 0. In updated rabbit ear testing (and in human testing), petrolatum was found to be not comedogenic. This means it didn’t promote comedone formation in standard models.
Learn more about PetrolatumWe don't have a description for Sodium Pyruvate yet.
This 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
