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Tarte SEA Quench Lip Rescue Balm - Buff Versus Farmacy Lip Smoothie - Apple

Lip Moisturizer
Lip Moisturizer
American Brand
American Brand

Updated on October 15, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe lip moisturizers. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain exfoliants, peptides, Vitamin C and Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging, dry skin, brightening skin, reducing pores, scar healing and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, parabens, silicones or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain common allergens, fragrances and oils

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

Tarte SEA Quench Lip Rescue Balm 35 ingredients

Farmacy Lip Smoothie 36 ingredients

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Tarte SEA Quench Lip Rescue Balm 35 ingredients

Farmacy Lip Smoothie 36 ingredients

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
SEA Quench Lip Rescue Balm
Lip Smoothie

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Diisostearyl Malate is an emollient and most often used in lip products. It comes from isostearyl alcohol, a fatty acid, and malic acid, an AHA.

As an emollient, Diisostearyl Malate helps create a thin film on your skin to trap moisture in. This helps keep your skin soft and smooth.

Ethylhexyl Palmitate is created from 2-ethylhexyl alcohol and palmitic acid. It is a fatty acid ester.

The fatty acid content of Ethylhexyl Palmitate makes it an emollient. Emollients help soften and hydrate your skin by trapping moisture within.

Ethylhexyl Palmitate is also used to help improve the texture of cosmetics. It helps other ingredient dissolve in products and help disperse ingredients more evenly.

You'll likely find this ingredient in sunscreen, as it is often used to mix UV-blocking ingredients such as avobenzone and ethylhexyl triazone.

It can also help stabilize the fragrances in a product as a fragrance fixative.

Ethylhexyl Palmitate can be used to substitute mineral oil.

Due to its high fatty acid content, it may not be fungal-acne safe.

Learn more about Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Perfuming, Solvent

Limonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.

It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".

Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.

When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.

The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.

Learn more about Limonene
Skin Conditioning

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is also known as pal-GHK. It is made up of 3 amino acids and palmitic acid, a fatty acid that helps it absorb into skin more easily.

This peptide is as a signal peptide, meaning it tells the skin to produce more collagen. Collagen is the key protein that helps form the skin's structure and keep it plump, firm, and hydrated.

By boosting collagen production, this ingredient supports a stronger skin barrier and helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

You'll most likely see this ingredient paired with Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 in the well-known Matrixyl 3000 complex. While results from in-house testing should be viewed cautiously, this peptide duo is among the most studied and widely used in modern skincare.

Due to its palmitic acid base, this ingredient may not be safe for Malassezia folliculitis.

Read more about other common types of peptides here:

Learn more about Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Polybutene is used to help control the viscosity of a product. This just means it helps adjusts the texture.

It is a polymer and does not get absorbed into the skin due to its large size.

Studies found this ingredient did not irritate skin in concentrations below 15%.

Learn more about Polybutene
Emulsifying

Sorbitan Isostearate is an emulsifer and cleaning agent. It is created from isostearic acid and sorbitol.

As an emulsifier, Sorbitan Isostearate prevents oils and water from separating.

Due to its isostearic acid base, it may not be safe for Malassezia or fungal acne.

Learn more about Sorbitan Isostearate
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THD) is a stable and oil-soluble form of Vitamin C.

THD is special in that it has the ability to travel deeper into skin than traditional ascorbic acid while maintaining the same skin benefits (double win!).

Because it’s oil-soluble, THD dives deep into your skin’s fatty layers (think ceramides and cholesterol) to fight off the kind of free radicals that mess with your skin barrier. This makes it a great pair with water-based vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that mainly works on the surface.

Even at just 0.1%, THD is already showing great antioxidant activity. When used up to 2%, it helps keep your skin happy and calm, especially when it’s stressed from pollution or sun.

Want to fade dark spots or tackle hyperpigmentation? You’ll want 5% or more. Pairing it with brightening buddies like niacinamide or licorice root gives even better results. One study even used 30% THD with other brighteners and saw real results on stubborn discoloration, even in melasma-prone skin.

A note on THD: It’s has a slightly silky, oily texture and usually shows up colorless or pale yellow (though the exact shade can vary by supplier).

While you can sneak it into water-based formulas, it really shines when paired with silicones or oils, which help your skin soak it up better.

THD is pretty stable, but it’s still vulnerable to degradation like ascorbic acid. Too much light or heat (above 113°F / 45°C) can break it down over time. Go for dark and opaque packaging that keeps it safe and shady!

Read more about other types of Vitamin C:

Learn more about Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.

Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.

Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.

You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.

There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.

Learn more about Tocopherol
Emollient, Skin Conditioning

Tribehenin comes from glycerin and behenic acid.

It is used as an emollient, or moisturizer. Emollients form a thin barrier on skin to prevent moisture from escaping.

This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.

Learn more about Tribehenin

When to use

Tarte SEA Quench Lip Rescue Balm 35 ingredients

Farmacy Lip Smoothie 36 ingredients

2 Routines
50% use in am
50% use in pm
100% use every day
22 Routines
59% use in am
41% use in pm
86% use every day

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Farmacy Lip Smoothie 36 ingredients

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What people say
Hydrating 67% Works Well 67% Absorbs Well 33%