What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Squalane
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Rosa Damascena Flower Wax
MaskingLithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Squalane, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Wax, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil
Emollient
Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil
Antimicrobial
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
Emollient
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Leaf Oil
Masking
Ocimum Basilicum Oil
Masking
Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil
Masking
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Eugenol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil, Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Leaf Oil, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Citronellol, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract comes from the common Marigold plant part of the Asteraceae family. This ingredient is a skin conditioner.
Marigolds contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are a group of substances found naturally in plants. They possess antioxidant and inflammation properties.
This ingredient soothes skin inflammation by inhibiting inhibiting a part of the inflammation process.
Marigolds have been used in traditional medicine throughout Asia and Europe.
Learn more about Calendula Officinalis Flower ExtractCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is the oil from the bergamot orange and is primarily used as a fragrance. It has a "fresh" and "bright orange" scent.
The main aroma compounds found in this ingredient are limonene (~27-52%), linalool (~2-22%), and linalyl acetate (~27-40%). These are known EU fragrance allergens.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
When used topically, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is a photosensitizer due to the furanocoumarin content. Furanocoumarins absorb UV-A and cause phytophotodermatitis; this can look like redness, blistering, and lasting brown pigmentation on sun-exposed skin.
Due to this, this ingredient is capped at 0.4% in leave-on products applied to sun exposed skin.
Many modern formulas used a "furanocoumarin-free" version that sidesteps the phototoxicity issue, but still contains the fragrance allergens.
Learn more about Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit OilHelianthus 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 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 2-3 on the comedogenic scale, it is a moderate risk for acne-prone skin. However, 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 OilRosa Damascena Flower Oil is an essential oil made from the Damask Rose. It is often used as a fragrance in cosmetics.
Rose Oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties due to its terpene, glycoside, flavonoid, anthocyanin, and Vitamin C content.
Other major parts of Rose Oil include citronellol and geraniol. Both of these are known EU allergens and cause contact-allergies.
The downsides of this ingredient outweight the positives.
Learn more about Rosa Damascena Flower OilThis ingredient is also known as Chia Seed Oil. It is rich in fatty acids, especially linolenic acid and linoleic acid.
Research shows topical application of chia seed oil improves skin hydration and barrier function. In vitro studies show the chia seed oil especially rich in linolenic acid can increase the skin's natural ability to hydrate and even boost natural hyaluronic acid.
Due to its fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Salvia Hispanica Seed OilJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
