The INKEY List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment Versus Youth To The People Superfood Air Whip Moisture Cream

The INKEY List Caffeine Stimulating Scalp Treatment Versus Youth To The People Superfood Air Whip Moisture Cream

This barrier-repair moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate skin.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

No concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Betaine

Caffeine

Panthenol

Phenoxyethanol

Glycerin

Xanthan Gum

Ethylhexylglycerin

Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Lactic Acid

Sodium Metabisulfite

Glycine

Larix Europaea Wood Extract

Camellia Sinensis Extract

Zinc Chloride

Water, Betaine, Caffeine, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite, Glycine, Larix Europaea Wood Extract, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Zinc Chloride

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate

Pentylene Glycol

Squalane

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder

Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract

Chamomilla Recutita Extract

Medicago Sativa Extract

Sarcosine

Spinacia Oleracea

Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract

Copper PCA

Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydroxyacetophenone

Menthoxypropanediol

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Sodium Hyaluronate

Sodium Hydroxide

Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid

Tocopherol

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer

Carbomer

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cetearyl Glucoside

Citric Acid

Glycine Soja Oil

Limonene

Chlorphenesin

Parfum

Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Pentylene Glycol, Betaine, Squalane, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Medicago Sativa Extract, Sarcosine, Spinacia Oleracea, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Copper PCA, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydroxyacetophenone, Menthoxypropanediol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Carbomer, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Limonene, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum

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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.

Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. It’s known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.

Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.

Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.

Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.

Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.

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.

Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.

There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.

D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.

Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):

Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.

This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.

Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.

This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.

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.

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!

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