Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream Versus Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream

Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream Versus Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream

This calming moisturizer is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Galactoarabinan to calm redness and hydrate skin.

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

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Glyceryl Stearate Citrate

Cetearyl Alcohol

Glyceryl Caprylate

Glycerin

Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract

Caprylhydroxamic Acid

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

Galactoarabinan

Cetyl Palmitate

Octyldodecanol

Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables

Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract

Tocopherol

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract

Santalum Spicatum Wood Oil

Rosa Damascena Flower Oil

Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil

Cymbopogon Martini Oil

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Sodium Phytate

Sodium Anisate

Sclerotium Gum

Xanthan Gum

Citric Acid

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glycerin, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Galactoarabinan, Cetyl Palmitate, Octyldodecanol, Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Tocopherol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Santalum Spicatum Wood Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Anisate, Sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid

Water

Squalane

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Isoamyl Laurate

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Sorbitan Olivate

Cetearyl Olivate

Ceramide NP

Jojoba Esters

Sodium Hyaluronate

Euterpe Oleracea Sterols

Linoleic Acid

Oleic Acid

Linolenic Acid

Ethyl Linoleate

Isoamyl Cocoate

Sorbitan Palmitate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Carbomer

Sodium Hydroxide

Phenoxyethanol

Sodium Gluconate

Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isoamyl Laurate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Ceramide NP, Jojoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Euterpe Oleracea Sterols, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Ethyl Linoleate, Tocopherol, Isoamyl Cocoate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Gluconate

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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.

Cetyl Palmitate is a wax-ester that pulls triple duty as an emollient, thickener, and emulsion enhancer.

It helps enhance the texture of products by giving a smooth, silky feel while helping to stabilize the formula. The emollient action softens skin and reduces moisture loss.

This ingredient is considered safe and human testing of concentrations between 2.5-2.7% were found minimal irritation. Just know, there have been very rare cases of the palmitate family causing contact dermatitis.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because it contains a C16 ester (palmitic acid) that falls into the C11-24 range that Malassezia can feed on.

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.

Tocopherol 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.

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