What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1
Humectant
Cetyl Esters
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Diheptyl Succinate
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningJasminum Officinale Extract
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Arnica Montana Extract
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1, Cetyl Esters, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract, Jasminum Officinale Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Arnica Montana Extract, Allantoin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLinum Usitatissimum Seed Oil
Perfuming
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Medica Peel Oil
Boswellia Carterii Oil
Masking
Salvia Sclarea Oil
Masking
Citrus Reticulata Leaf Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingSucrose Stearate
EmollientCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Coconut Alcohol
Emollient
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Glucose
Humectant
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Medica Peel Oil, Boswellia Carterii Oil, Salvia Sclarea Oil, Citrus Reticulata Leaf Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract, Tocopherol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sucrose Stearate, Coco-Glucoside, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Lactic Acid, Coconut Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Glucose
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 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
