What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetyl Palmitate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Emollient
Paraffin
Skin ConditioningPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Petrolatum
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Triethanolamine
BufferingLauroyl Lysine
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycine Soja Protein
EmulsifyingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Antioxidant
Silybum Marianum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Farnesol
Perfuming
Crithmum Maritimum Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Myristyl Myristate, Cetyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Paraffin, Palmitic Acid, Petrolatum, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Phenoxyethanol, Triethanolamine, Lauroyl Lysine, Carbomer, Glycine Soja Protein, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Bisabolol, Myristic Acid, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Silybum Marianum Extract, Disodium EDTA, Retinyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Farnesol, Crithmum Maritimum Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water
MaskingHeptyl Undecylenate
EmollientGlycerin
Humectant
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Myristyl Myristate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Rosa Canina Seed Extract
EmollientSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingAleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Methylheptylglycerin
HumectantSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingEchium Plantagineum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Distearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialWater, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Water, Heptyl Undecylenate, Glycerin, Lactobacillus Ferment, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Myristyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Rosa Canina Seed Extract, Sodium Levulinate, Sclerotium Gum, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Methylheptylglycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Lactic Acid, Sodium Anisate, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Phytate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
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 GlycerinHelianthus 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 OilMyristyl Myristate is a waxy ester made by combining myristyl alcohol and myristic acid (both from plant oils from coconut or palm).
It's a non-greasy emollient that melts right around skin temperature. It gives products a soft and velvet feel and helps improve how a cream spreads.
Safety-wise, it's deemed safe to use in cosmetics by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. Dermal animal testing found it to be non-toxic and non-irritating.
This ingredient has a comedogenic reputation; it's important to know comedogenic ratings come from outdated rabbit ear tests. Rabbit ears are way more sensitive than human skin and prone to clogging. How likely a formula will clog pores depends on the overall formulation rather than a few comedogenic ingredients.
Because this ingredient is an ester of Myristic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. Myristic acid is a C14 fatty acid that sits in the C11-24 range that feeds the Malassezia yeast.
Learn more about Myristyl MyristateTocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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
