What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Beeswax
Emulsion StabilisingBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientAminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate
AntioxidantDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Dimethicone
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDisodium EDTA
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Beeswax, Behenyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Aminopropyl Ascorbyl Phosphate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Dimethicone, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingPhenyl Trimethicone
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate
EmollientBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingSodium Lactate
BufferingSodium Lauryl Sulfate
CleansingSodium PCA
HumectantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingSorbitol
HumectantTetrasodium EDTA
Proline
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantParfum
MaskingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeWater, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Phenyl Trimethicone, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium PCA, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Proline, Sodium Hyaluronate, Parfum, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Dehydroacetic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice comes from leaves of the aloe plant. Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice is best known for helping to soothe sunburns. It is also anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, antiseptic, and can help heal wounds.
Aloe is packed with good stuff including Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins are antioxidants, which help fight free-radicals and the damage they may cause. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice also contains sugars. These sugars come in the form of monosaccharides and polysaccharides, folic acid, and choline. These sugars are able to help bind moisture to skin.
It also contains minerals such as calcium, 12 anthraquinones, fatty acids, amino acids, and Vitamin B12.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf JuiceCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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.
Learn more about GlycerinGlyceryl 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.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumSodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic Acid