MARA Beauty Sea Moss + Stem Cells Sea Dream Firming Algae Crème Versus Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

MARA Beauty Sea Moss + Stem Cells Sea Dream Firming Algae Crème Versus Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

This anti-aging moisturizer is formulated around Squalane to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate skin.

This wash off mask is made with Niacinamide and Ceramide EOP for a rinse-off barrier-support boost.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Palmaria Palmata Extract

Water

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter

Pentylene Glycol

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Glyceryl Stearate

Cetearyl Olivate

Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil

Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil

Glyceryl Caprylate

Sorbitan Olivate

Squalane

Sodium Gluconate

Sodium Lactate

Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose

Maris Aqua

Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate

Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Eclipta Prostrata Extract

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil

Oenothera Biennis Oil

Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil

Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil

Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Sodium Phytate

Sodium PCA

Lecithin

Benzoic Acid

Hydrolyzed Pinus Sibirica Seedcake Extract

Gigartina Stellata Extract

Chondrus Crispus Extract

Sodium Nitrate

Xanthan Gum

Cystoseira Tamariscifolia Extract

Hydrated Silica

Alaria Esculenta Extract

Sodium Benzoate

Acanthopanax Senticosus Root Extract

Disodium Phosphate

Tocopherol

Silica Dimethyl Silylate

Sodium Phosphate

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Hydroxide

Palmaria Palmata Extract, Water, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Citrullus Lanatus Seed Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sorbitan Olivate, Squalane, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Lactate, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Maris Aqua, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Vaccinium Myrtillus Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Sodium Phytate, Sodium PCA, Lecithin, Benzoic Acid, Hydrolyzed Pinus Sibirica Seedcake Extract, Gigartina Stellata Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Sodium Nitrate, Xanthan Gum, Cystoseira Tamariscifolia Extract, Hydrated Silica, Alaria Esculenta Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Acanthopanax Senticosus Root Extract, Disodium Phosphate, Tocopherol, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hydroxide

Diheptyl Succinate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Niacinamide

Sorbitan Stearate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Ceramide EOP

Ceramide NP

Ceramide AP

Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate

Allantoin

Bisabolol

Panthenol

Physalis Angulata Extract

Castanea Sativa Seed Extract

Tocopheryl Acetate

Phytosphingosine

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

Cholesterol

Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate

Carbomer

PEG-100 Stearate

Phenoxyethanol

Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Diheptyl Succinate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sorbitan Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Allantoin, Bisabolol, Panthenol, Physalis Angulata Extract, Castanea Sativa Seed Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phytosphingosine, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, PEG-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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%.

Cetearyl 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.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

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.

Glyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.

Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.

This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.

A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.

Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.

Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

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!

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

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