What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Isocetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Cyclohexasiloxane
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Propylparaben
Preservative
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Paraffinum Liquidum
Emollient
Silica
Abrasive
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Emollient
Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer
BHT
Antioxidant
Propylparaben
Preservative
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract
Masking
Rosa Alba Flower Extract
Emollient
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Paraffinum Liquidum, Silica, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Persea Gratissima Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Parfum, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, BHT, Propylparaben, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Linalool, Limonene, Jasminum Officinale Flower Extract, Rosa Alba Flower Extract
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.
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil comes from the seeds of the safflower plant. It is a skin conditioning agent that helps soften skin and keep it hydrated.
This seed oil has an unusual fatty acid profile: it is one of the highest linoleic acid plant oils out there (~55-77%). It also has low amounts of oleic acid, and this high-linoleic/low-oleic ratio gets people excited.
Linoleic acid helps maintain skin barrier integrity and is a building block for the ceramides in your stratum corneum. Notably, people with acne tend to have lower linoleic acid in their skin lipids as well (and this gets worse as acne gets more severe).
Overall, it's a lightweight, fast-absorbing oil that has a long safety track record. Lab testing has found it to be non-irritating for skin or eyes.
The Malassezia yeast can metabolize the fatty acids in this oil to grow; therefore this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Carthamus Tinctorius Seed OilParaffinum Liquidum is a highly-refined cosmetic-grade mineral oil. It is also known as liquid paraffin.
Despite its controversial reputation, the science is pretty clear: it's one of the most well-studied and effective moisturizing ingredients out there.
As an occlusive, it forms a protective layer on the skin that locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This makes it especially great for compromised skin barriers.
The "it clogs your pores" myth has been around for decades; a study found that industrial-grade mineral oil may be comedogenic but cosmetic-grade mineral oil is not (these two are very, very different).
A 2017 review concluded that cosmetic use of mineral oils and waxes does not present a risk to consumers due to absorption.
Mineral oil got a bad rap from the old rabbit ear studies. When tested on actual human skin, cosmetic-grade mineral oil showed no comedogenic activity. The rating of 0 is a correction of outdated science.
Mineral oil is an inert substance with no fatty acids so there's nothing to feed Malassezia. This ingredient is fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Paraffinum LiquidumPropylparaben is a preservative and one of the most widely used members of the paraben family (it's been used in cosmetics for over a century now).
It works by disrupting microbial cell membranes and enzymes, and is a broad-spectrum protector that works exceptionally well against molds, yeasts, and gram-positive bacteria.
You'll likely see it paired with methylparaben to cover the full range (including gram-negative bacteria).
This ingredient is effective at low concentrations (~0.2-0.5%) and stable across a wide pH range (4.5-7.5 pH). It's effectiveness drops off above pH 8 and it can lose potency when combined with non-ionic surfactants like polysorbate 80 due to micellization.
The regulatory bodies have concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics. The EU has capped it at 0.14% and combined parabens are not to exceed 0.8%.
While parabens do cross the stratum corneum, only about 1% remains for absorption into the body. This is because most of it is metabolized within living skin.
Learn more about PropylparabenTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl Acetate
