What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Zinc Oxide 15.7%
Cosmetic ColorantWater
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingButyloctyl Salicylate
Skin ConditioningTetradecane
PerfumingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingEctoin
Skin ConditioningArachidyl Alcohol
EmollientCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientDiheptyl Succinate
EmollientCoco-Glucoside
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCalcium Sodium Borosilicate
Parfum
MaskingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientBehenyl Alcohol
EmollientCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningBisabolol
AntioxidantCitric Acid
BufferingArachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Tocopherol
AntioxidantBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion StabilisingSqualene
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantIsomalt
HumectantBeta Vulgaris Root Extract
Skin ConditioningFructooligosaccharides
HumectantMalus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningAronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialEuterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
AstringentSpirulina Maxima Extract
SmoothingSr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1
HumectantLecithin
EmollientSodium Benzoate
MaskingVitis Vinifera Fruit Cell Extract
Skin ConditioningLinalool
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingZinc Oxide 15.7%, Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Tetradecane, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Ectoin, Arachidyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Diheptyl Succinate, Coco-Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Parfum, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Behenyl Alcohol, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Bisabolol, Citric Acid, Arachidyl Glucoside, Sodium Gluconate, Glycerin, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Tocopherol, Beta-Sitosterol, Squalene, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Hyaluronate, Isomalt, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Fructooligosaccharides, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Aronia Melanocarpa Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Sr-Hydrozoan Polypeptide-1, Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate, Vitis Vinifera Fruit Cell Extract, Linalool, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingSorbitan Sesquioleate
EmulsifyingStearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientMalus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantResveratrol
AntioxidantUbiquinone
AntioxidantMagnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
AntioxidantGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
BleachingLaminaria Digitata Extract
Skin ProtectingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitrus Tangerina Peel Oil
MaskingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract, Panthenol, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Resveratrol, Ubiquinone, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
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 ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilThis ingredient comes from a rare Swiss apple known as Uttwiler Spätlauber. It is produced from the cell cultures of the apple and not the fruit itself.
According to manufacturer studies, this ingredient has demonstrated the following benefits:
- Visible anti-wrinkle effect around the eye area (in vivo)
- Enhanced colony-forming efficiency of epidermal stem cells (in vitro)
- Improved ability of skin cells to regenerate and build new tissues in a 3D epidermis model (in vitro)
- Increased skin density (in vitro)
- Boosted vitality of epidermal stem cells (in vitro)
- Reversal of cellular aging signs in fibroblasts (in vitro)
Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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