What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate
Emulsifying
Beeswax
Emulsion Stabilising
Sorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningCoptis Japonica Extract
AntimicrobialScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Astringent
Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract
Skin ConditioningPiper Methysticum Root Extract
Skin ConditioningGardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAstragalus Membranaceus Root Extract
Emollient
Cnidium Officinale Root Extract
Skin ConditioningPanax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Morus Bombycis Leaf Extract
SmoothingLycium Chinense Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Sophora Flavescens Root Extract
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
Emulsion StabilisingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTrideceth-10
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Beeswax, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Allantoin, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Coptis Japonica Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Scrophularia Buergeriana Extract, Piper Methysticum Root Extract, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Morus Bombycis Leaf Extract, Lycium Chinense Fruit Extract, Sophora Flavescens Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Root Extract, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Caprylyl Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Xanthan Gum, Trideceth-10, Disodium EDTA, Tocopherol, 1,2-Hexanediol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 StearateWater. 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
