What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Methosulfate
SurfactantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingRicinus Communis Seed Oil
MaskingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCetrimonium Chloride
AntimicrobialCetyl Alcohol
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientTanacetum Annuum Flower Oil
MaskingBambusa Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningMacrocystis Pyrifera Extract
Skin ConditioningUlmus Davidiana Root Extract
Skin ConditioningEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentAdansonia Digitata Oil
EmollientMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantParfum
MaskingGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingWater, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Adansonia Digitata Oil, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Parfum, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-37
Tocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantPropylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientPEG-50 Shea Butter
EmulsifyingGlycerin
HumectantCetrimonium Chloride
AntimicrobialHydrolyzed Keratin
HumectantPanthenyl Hydroxypropyl Steardimonium Chloride
Sodium PCA
HumectantPolyquaternium-7
Parfum
MaskingPPG-1 Trideceth-6
Skin ConditioningDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Polyquaternium-37, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PEG-50 Shea Butter, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Panthenyl Hydroxypropyl Steardimonium Chloride, Sodium PCA, Polyquaternium-7, Parfum, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
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 JuiceBenzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholThis ingredient is a preservative, antimicrobial, and emulsifier. It is often used in cosmetics for its ability to cleanse, condition, and reduce static.
Cetrimonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt, meaning it has a water-soluble structure.
Dehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
Learn more about Dehydroacetic AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum 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 ParfumJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Fungal acne: The Malassezia yeast is known to metabolize fatty acids in the C11-24 range and jojoba's dominant fatty acid components fall into this range. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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!
Learn more about Water