What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Capsicum Frutescens Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Mica
Cosmetic ColorantTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
CI 77742
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Mentha Piperita Oil, Capsicum Frutescens Fruit Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, CI 77742, Parfum
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientSqualane
Emollient
Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Trimethyl Pentaphenyl Trisiloxane
Emollient
Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate
Skin ConditioningMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyethylene
Abrasive
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Cera Microcristallina
Emulsion StabilisingWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Gallica Flower Extract
AstringentPrunus Domestica Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Porphyridium Cruentum Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Maris Aqua
HumectantTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Silica Dimethyl Silylate
EmollientPropanediol
Solvent
BHT
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Squalane, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Trimethyl Pentaphenyl Trisiloxane, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Polyethylene, Jojoba Esters, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Cera Microcristallina, Water, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-2 Diisostearate, Butylene Glycol, Lithospermum Erythrorhizon Root Extract, Rosa Gallica Flower Extract, Prunus Domestica Seed Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Porphyridium Cruentum Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Maris Aqua, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Propanediol, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolTocopherol 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
