What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Punica Granatum Seed Oil
Emollient
Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Rosa Canina Flower Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Crispum Leaf Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Ubiquinone, Juniperus Communis Fruit Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Punica Granatum Seed Oil
Emollient
Phytosteryl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning
Phytosterols
Skin Conditioning
Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningVitis Vinifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Limon Leaf Cell Extract
Skin ConditioningSqualene
Emollient
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Isomalt
HumectantPhospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitrus Reticulata Peel Oil
Masking
Cinnamomum Camphora Wood Oil
Masking
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Ethyl Linalool
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Citral
Perfuming
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Jojoba Esters, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Phytosterols, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Leaf Cell Extract, Squalene, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol, Isomalt, Phospholipids, Xanthan Gum, Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Wood Oil, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Ethyl Linalool, Limonene, Citral
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Helianthus 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 OilLitsea Cubeba Fruit Oil is also known as May Chang essential oil. It is mostly used as a fragrance ingredient and has a bright, sweet, and lemony scent.
The main fragrance compounds in this ingredient are citral (~70-85%) and limonene.
Citral has documented antimicrobial activity against acne bacteria (which is where the marketing claims about it being good for acne-prone skin originate), but real formulas use it at fragrance-level concentrations under 1%.
The main thing worth knowing is that citral is a known EU fragrance allergen so people with known fragrance sensitivities may want to skip it.
Unlike citrus oils, May Chang doesn't contain furocoumarins and therefore isn't phototoxic.
Learn more about Litsea Cubeba Fruit OilPunica Granatum Seed Oil is created from the seeds of the pomegranate. Pomegranate seed oil helps hydrate the skin, is anti-inflammatory, and contains antioxidants.
Pomegranates are rich in fatty acids, including an unsaturated fatty acid by the name of Punicic acid. Other components of pomegranates include Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and bioactive lipids such as phytosterols, phospholipids, and triterpenes. Punicic acid helps soothe inflammation.
As an emollient, pomegranate oil creates a thin film on the skin. This film helps prevent moisture loss, keeping your skin hydrated.
Learn more about Punica Granatum 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.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilTocopherol 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
