First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma Arnica Relief & Rescue Mask Versus REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask

First Aid Beauty FAB Pharma Arnica Relief & Rescue Mask Versus REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask

This calming treatment is formulated around Colloidal Oatmeal and Allantoin to calm redness and hydrate skin.

This calming overnight mask is formulated around Lactobacillus Ferment and Butyrospermum Parkii Butter to calm redness and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Glycerin

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Glyceryl Stearate

Behenyl Alcohol

Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter

Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate

Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil

Cocos Nucifera Oil

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Cetearyl Olivate

Allantoin

Phenoxyethanol

Caprylyl Glycol

Sorbitan Olivate

Sodium Polyacrylate

Pentylene Glycol

Butylene Glycol

Hydrogenated Polydecene

Xanthan Gum

Nicotiana Tabacum Leaf Oil

Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract

Trideceth-6

Tocopheryl Acetate

Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract

Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract

Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract

Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract

Colloidal Oatmeal

Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract

Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract

Arnica Montana Flower Extract

Centella Asiatica Extract

Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract

Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid

Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract

Curcuma Longa Root Extract

Corallina Officinalis Extract

Ascorbyl Palmitate

Citric Acid

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Potassium Sorbate

Sodium Benzoate

Ethylhexylglycerin

Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Glyceryl Citrate/Lactate/Linoleate/Oleate, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Olivate, Allantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Xanthan Gum, Nicotiana Tabacum Leaf Oil, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Trideceth-6, Tocopheryl Acetate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Colloidal Oatmeal, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, Hydroxyphenyl Propamidobenzoic Acid, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Citric Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin

Cetearyl Alcohol

Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate

Olus Oil

Lactobacillus Ferment

Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Cetearyl Glucoside

Propanediol

Algae Extract

Cetyl Alcohol

Lactobacillus

Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide

Parfum

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Panthenol

Carbomer

Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Seed Oil

Camelina Sativa Seed Oil

Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract

Tocopherol

Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan

Malachite Extract

Albatrellus Ovinus Extract

Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract

Glucose

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Sodium Hydroxide

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Citronellol

Geraniol

Limonene

Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Olus Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Propanediol, Algae Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Lactobacillus, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Parfum, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Panthenol, Carbomer, Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Magnesium Carboxymethyl Beta-Glucan, Malachite Extract, Albatrellus Ovinus Extract, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Glucose, Phenoxyethanol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene

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.

Arnica Montana Flower is more commonly known as Wolf's Bane. While this flower has been used in traditional medicine, its skin benefits are in question.

The FDA considers Wolf's Bane to be an unsafe herb. They advise against taking it orally or applying it to broken skin.

Wolf's Bane has been said to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, studies are conflicting about whether this is true.

According to the Final report on the safety assessment of Arnica montana, this plant has not been found to cause dermal irritation.

This flower contains numerous fatty acids such as palmitic, linoleic, myristic, and linolenic acids. The presence and amount of fatty acids depends on where the flower is harvested.

Like other flowers, this ingredient has a natural fragrance. It can also be used to mask, or cover, the unpleasant scents from other ingredients.

This ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.

Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).

Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.

While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.

Citric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.

Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.

However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.

Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.

In skincare formulas, citric acid can:

While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.

Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.

Rosacea skin has a lower threshold for acids generally, with 62.5% of rosacea subjects in one study reacting to lactic acid in a sting test. This is why we mark citric acid as a potential rosacea trigger.

However, this ingredient shows up as a pH adjuster or chelator at roughly 0.1-1% in many products. These low levels are unlikely to be an issue for rosacea skin and becomes a potential trigger at exfoliating concentrations (20%). Because everybody's skin is unique, we recommend a patch test if you are unsure.

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.

Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).

It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.

On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.

Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).

You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.

Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.

Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.

Tocopheryl Acetate is a stable, shelf-friendly form of vitamin E.

Formulators love it because plain vitamin E oxidizes quickly once it hits air. This acetate version stays stable and resists going off, helping to extend a product's shelf life.

It's actually inactive on its own and works like a slow-release "storage" form; the enzymes in your skin called esterases gradually convert it into active vitamin E over time.

One in vivo study showed 5% of the acetate in the living layer of the epidermis converted to vitamin E after 5 days of application. This study also found the skin gained protection against UV damage even though the conversion was slow and small.

Once converted, vitamin E acts as a skin's main fat-soluble antioxidant that fights free radicals to protect skin from damage.

Topical vitamin E generally boosts the skin's photoprotection, and it reduced UV-damage in animal models.

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.

Overall, it has a pretty solid safety profile and has been found to be non-irritating and non-comedogenic. Allergic reactions may happen but stay rare due to how widely the ingredient gets used.

The concentration will vary depending on the formula; industry data shows 0.1% in baby lotions, 3% in lipsticks, and 5% in foot powders. You can also find this ingredient at 100% in a pure vitamin E oil.

Most leave-on skincare keeps it at the lower end, often between 0.5-1%.

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.

Similar Comparisons