What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Ceteareth-20
CleansingRosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentLamium Album Extract
AstringentUrtica Dioica Extract
AstringentPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Vanillin
Masking
Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Paradisi Seed Extract
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Ceteareth-20, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Lamium Album Extract, Urtica Dioica Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Vanillin, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Citrus Paradisi Seed Extract, Linalool, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningSesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Triethanolamine
BufferingTriticum Vulgare Germ Oil
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cymbopogon Martini Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Aniba Rosaeodora Wood Oil
Astringent
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingMethylparaben
Preservative
Propylparaben
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tetrasodium EDTA
Water, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Triethanolamine, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Dimethicone, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Aniba Rosaeodora Wood Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Parfum, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Tocopherol, Tetrasodium EDTA
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl 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 GlycerinOenothera Biennis Oil (aka Evening Primrose Oil) is a non-fragrant oil from the evening primrose. Like other botanical oils, it is an emollient that helps hydrate and nourish skin.
It has an interesting fatty acid profile: linoleic (70-74%) and γ-linolenic (8-10%), with some amounts ofoleic palmitic, and stearic acids.
The gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) is the headliner here; it's relatively rare in plant oils and acts as a precursor for anti-inflammatory signaling molecules in the skin.
There's a mixed body of clinical research with this ingredient as well, mostly on eczema/atopic dermatitis skin.
Some controlled trials showed improvement in inflammation, dryness, scaling, and overall severity. Other studies and large meta-analysis failed to show a significant effect; the honest takeaway here is "promising but inconsistent" rather than "miracle oil".
On the safety front, this ingredient is found to be safe as used in cosmetics and even has a history of safe food use.
Since this oil is contains oleic acid and palmitic acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Oleic Acid sits at C18 and Palmitic acid sits at C16.
In vitro studies have shown that oleic acid and palmitic acid are some of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
Learn more about Oenothera Biennis OilPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil is the cold-pressed oil from sesame seeds.
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent made up of roughly 82-85% unsaturated fatty acids, mostly linoleic (~41%) and oleic acid (~39%).
This pairing gives it barrier-supporting and moisturizing properties. Linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid, can be incorporated into complex skin lipids. Topical application has shown barrier repair, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing effects in cell and animal studies.
Beyond fatty acids, sesame oil brings something more distinctive to the table:
It contains natural antioxidants sesamol, sesamolin, and gamma-tocopherol. These also give the oil notably high oxidative stability.
One of the oil's key lignans, sesamin, has also demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in preclinical models.
A 2023 clinical study found that a single application of sesame seed oil to the forearms of 35 healthy women improved stratum corneum hydration (though it didn't outperform raspberry seed oil).
The comedogenic rating of 1-3 depends on the type of sesame oil; unrefined carries a rating of 3 while refined sesame oil drops to a 1.
This ingredient may not be safe for fungal acne as it contains fatty acids that can feed Malassezia.
Learn more about Sesamum Indicum 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 TocopherolTriticum Vulgare Germ Oil is better known as wheat germ oil. It's a golden oil that softens skin as an emollient and deliver antioxidants.
Most of its fatty acid profile is dominated by linoleic acid (~55%) with smaller amounts of palmitic, oleic, and linolenic. Linoleic acid helps reinforce the skin barrier and slow moisture loss.
Wheat germ oil's real claim to fame is its vitamin E content; it has the highest vitamin E of any vegetable oil. This gives is strong antioxidant properties and helps the oil resist going rancid.
Patch-testing of wheat-germ products has shown no irritation or sensitization, and this ingredient is a great choice for dry skin. It might be a bit heavy for acne-prone or oily skin.
There are just three caveats worth knowing:
Like other plant oils, it contains the C11-24 fatty acids that Malassezia can metabolize. Therefore, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Refined oils carry very little protein, but anyone diagnosed with a wheat or gluten allergy should patch test just to be cautious.
While blogs like to list this ingredient with a comedogenic rating of 5, the original study was actually done on a different ingredient: wheat germ triglycerides. Wheat germ triglycerides actually scored a 3 and not a 5. The 5 appears to be a mix-up that spread across charts over the years, with no actual data behind it.
Learn more about Triticum Vulgare Germ OilWater. 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
