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Vaseline Original Lip Balm Versus hyphen Vitamin Infused Peptide Lip Balm

Vaseline Original Lip Balm Versus hyphen Vitamin Infused Peptide Lip Balm This barrier-repair lip moisturizer is formulated around Ricinus Communis Seed Oil and Petrolatum to strengthen the lip barrier and hydrate lips. This anti-aging lip moisturizer is formu

Vaseline Original Lip Balm Versus hyphen Vitamin Infused Peptide Lip Balm

This barrier-repair lip moisturizer is formulated around Ricinus Communis Seed Oil and Petrolatum to strengthen the lip barrier and hydrate lips.

This anti-aging lip moisturizer is formulated around Squalane and Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and hydrate lips.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Octyldodecanol

Microcrystalline Wax

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

Cetyl Palmitate

Petrolatum

Myristyl Myristate

Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate

Water

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Copernicia Cerifera Wax

Cetearyl Alcohol

C20-40 Alkyl Stearate

Beeswax

Glycerin

Tocopheryl Acetate

Panthenol

Octyldodecanol, Microcrystalline Wax, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Cetyl Palmitate, Petrolatum, Myristyl Myristate, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Water, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Cetearyl Alcohol, C20-40 Alkyl Stearate, Beeswax, Glycerin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

Helianthus Annuus Flower

Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters

Synthetic Wax

Propylene Glycol

Paraffin

Squalane

Polyurethane-79

Glycol Montanate

Tocotrienols

Linoleic Acid

Tripeptide-1

Hexapeptide-9

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Tapioca Starch

Vanillin

Caprylyl Glycol

Sucralose

Polysorbate 20

CI 77891

CI 77499

CI 77492

CI 45410

CI 45380

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Helianthus Annuus Flower, Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters, Synthetic Wax, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Glycol, Paraffin, Squalane, Polyurethane-79, Glycol Montanate, Tocotrienols, Linoleic Acid, Tripeptide-1, Hexapeptide-9, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tapioca Starch, Vanillin, Caprylyl Glycol, Sucralose, Glycerin, Water, Polysorbate 20, CI 77891, CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 45410, CI 45380

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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.

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.

This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.

Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage.

Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin. Just know this one's based on experience and not evidence.

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.

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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