This calming moisturizer is formulated around Borago Officinalis Seed Oil and Calendula Officinalis Extract to calm redness and fade the look of dark spots.
This oil-based makeup remover is made to dissolve makeup, sunscreen, and daily buildup.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Cucumis Sativus Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate
Emulsifying
Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil
Emollient
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Cucumis Sativus Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Di-PPG-2 Myreth-10 Adipate, Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Beeswax, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Brassica Oleracea Italica Seed Oil, Tocopherol
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil is the fixed oil pressed from the seed of borage (or starflower). In cosmetics, it's a skin conditioning agent and emollient that helps soften and hydrate the skin.
Its whole reputation rests on one fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid, that makes up about 20-26% of the oil. There are also significant levels of linoleic, oleic, palmitic, stearic, erucic, and nervonic acids.
Topical evidence is small but reasonably consistent; most of it is about barrier function rather than curing anything.
In 37 infants with seborrhoeic dermatitis treated daily with topical borage oil containing 24% GLA, all patients were free of skin symptoms within 3-4 weeks.
A double-blind placebo controlled trial in 32 children aged 1-10 used undershirts coated with borage oil for two weeks and found statistically significant improvements in erythema and itch. Transepidermal water loss from the back also decreased.
The CIR reviewed this ingredient and concluded it to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Concentration amounts can be as low as fractions of a percent all the way to 100% in facial oils.
Oxidation matters since it's high in polyunsaturates: pairing it with tocopherol or opaque packaging can make a difference.
Allergy risk is low though anyone with a known Boraginaceae allergy should patch test. Cosmetic-grade refined borage oil is usually free from the proteins that cause allergies, but manufacturing quality can differ around the world.
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.
The Malassezia species takes up external fatty acids in the C11-24 range to survive. Since this oil is a triglyceride of exactly the chain lengths it needs, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Borago Officinalis Seed OilTocopherol 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
