What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Olivate
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
PEG-75 Stearate
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Microcrystalline Cellulose
AbsorbentCeteth-20
CleansingSteareth-20
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingOrmenis Multicaulis Oil
Masking
Disodium EDTA
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glutamine
Skin ConditioningPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Flower Oil
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Cistus Incanus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningGynostemma Pentaphyllum Leaf/Stem Extract
Antioxidant
Carum Petroselinum Seed Oil
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Tocopherol, PEG-75 Stearate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glycine Soja Oil, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Ceteth-20, Steareth-20, Xanthan Gum, Ormenis Multicaulis Oil, Disodium EDTA, Benzoic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Glutamine, Phenethyl Alcohol, Cellulose Gum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil, Citric Acid, Cistus Incanus Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Leaf/Stem Extract, Carum Petroselinum Seed Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Linalool, Limonene, Geraniol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cyclomethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Sorbitol
Humectant
Ceteth-20
CleansingStearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Heptanoate
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Dimethicone
Emollient
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Menthol
Masking
Piroctone Olamine
Preservative
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycolic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Potassium Hydroxide, Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Sorbitol, Ceteth-20, Stearic Acid, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Heptanoate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 20, Dimethicone, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Tocopheryl Acetate, Menthol, Piroctone Olamine, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
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 JuiceCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractThis ingredient is a surfactant and emulsifier. It is used to mix water and oil, stabilize emulsions, and aid in cleansing.
Cetyl 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 StearatePhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
This ingredient is also known as sweet almond oil. It is a lightweight, cold-pressed oil from the ripe seeds of the sweet almond tree.
Sweet almond oil is rich in skin-nourishing fatty acids such as oleic acid (55-86%) and linolenic acid (7-35%).
As an emollient, it softens and hydrates skin by forming a thin barrier that locks in moisture.
Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing. The CIR Expert Panel has evaluated the available safety data and concluded it is safe for topical use.
Because of the oleic acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis 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
