What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Phragmites Karka Extract
Skin ConditioningPoria Cocos Extract
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Aristotelia Chilensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Water, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Phragmites Karka Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Aristotelia Chilensis Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Skin Conditioning
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Nelumbo Nucifera Extract
Skin ConditioningLaminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingXylitol
Humectant
Polyglycerin-3
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Sodium Phytate
Silicon
Abrasive
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Jojoba Esters, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Xylitylglucoside, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Nelumbo Nucifera Extract, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax, Tocopherol, Glycerin, Sclerotium Gum, Xylitol, Polyglycerin-3, Anhydroxylitol, Sodium Phytate, Silicon, Maltodextrin, Benzyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Potassium Sorbate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 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 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 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
