What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Sorbitol
Humectant
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium Citrate
BufferingP-Anisic Acid
Masking
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Gluconolactone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Sorbitol, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Lecithin, Sodium Citrate, P-Anisic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Allantoin, Sodium Hyaluronate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Betaine
Humectant
Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningInulin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientStearic Acid
Cleansing
Citric Acid
Buffering
Acacia Senegal Gum
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCellulose
Absorbent
Fructose
Humectant
Glucose
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Glycerin, Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Isostearate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Betaine, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract, Inulin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Stearic Acid, Citric Acid, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Cellulose, Fructose, Glucose, Sodium Phytate, Alcohol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilWater. 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
