Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm Versus Avène Cicalfate Lips Repair Balm

Biossance Squalane + Rose Vegan Lip Balm Versus Avène Cicalfate Lips Repair Balm

This barrier-repair lip moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Ceramide NP to strengthen the lip barrier and hydrate lips.

This lip moisturizer is formulated around Zinc Sulfate and Ricinus Communis Seed Oil to hydrate lips.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Diisostearyl Malate

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2

Glycerin

Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic Polyglycerides

Myristic/Palmitic/Stearic/Ricinoleic/Eicosanedioic Glycerides

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

Squalane

Water

Rosa Damascena Flower Wax

Ceramide NP

Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Undaria Pinnatifida Extract

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Jojoba Esters

Tocopherol

Hydrogenated Castor Oil

Glyceryl Caprylate

Glyceryl Undecylenate

Dextrin Palmitate

Diisostearyl Malate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Glycerin, Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic Polyglycerides, Myristic/Palmitic/Stearic/Ricinoleic/Eicosanedioic Glycerides, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Squalane, Water, Rosa Damascena Flower Wax, Ceramide NP, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Jojoba Esters, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Dextrin Palmitate

Beeswax

Paraffinum Liquidum

Isopropyl Palmitate

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

PEG-45/Dodecyl Glycol Copolymer

Aluminum Sucrose Octasulfate

Zinc Oxide

Magnesium Sulfate

Zinc Sulfate

Glycerin, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Water, Beeswax, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Paraffinum Liquidum, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Isopropyl Palmitate, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, PEG-45/Dodecyl Glycol Copolymer, Aluminum Sucrose Octasulfate, Zinc Oxide, Magnesium Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate

Reviews

Be the first to review

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2 is a synthetic emollient that works as a lanolin substitute.

This ingredient is a great vegan option for those avoiding animal-derived ingredients.

It mostly stays on the surface of skin where it helps hydrate due to its large molecular size and low water solubility.

Due to it being derived from fatty acids, this ingredient may not be Malassezia or fungal acne safe.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.

Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.

In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.

While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.

Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.

This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.

This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.

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.

Hydrogenated Castor Oil (aka "castor wax") is what you get when castor oil is turned into a wax.

Its dominant fatty acid is ricinoleic acid, giving it both emollient and mild humectant properties.

According to EU CosIng, this ingredient helps soften skin, keep oil and water stay mixed, and thickens products.

Hydrogenated castor oil at 30% did not trigger a positive patch-test reaction and is well-tolerated.

Since this ingredient is based on an 18-carbon fatty acid, it falls into the chain-length range that Malassezia can feed on and may not be fungal acne safe.

This ingredient is also known as castor oil. It is a skin conditioning ingredient.

The star component of castor oil is ricinoleic acid, an unusual fatty acid that makes up ~80-92% of its composition.

In skincare, it is an emollient that dries down to a solid film with water-binding properties. This helps keep skin hydrated and helps reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

A 2026 dermatology review pulls together its broader uses:

Human clinical testing found this ingredient to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Because castor oil contains fatty acids in the C11-24 range, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

At this time, the literature does not support castor oil in regrowing hair. A 2022 systematic review found no strong evidence that it supports hair growth and only weak evidence that it improves hair shine.

Castor oil itself carries "perfuming" and "masking" function tags according to the official CosIng database. This is because of its mild odor and odor-dampening properties.

Water. 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!

Similar Comparisons