What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Brassica Alcohol
Emollient
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Antioxidant
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Althaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Avena Sativa Kernel Oil
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningBrassica Campestris Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPolyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Emulsifying
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phytic Acid
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingWater, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Brassica Alcohol, Pentylene Glycol, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-Caprylate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Avena Sativa Kernel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Levulinate, Brassica Campestris Seed Oil, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Hydroxide, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phytic Acid, Potassium Phosphate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate
Skin Conditioning
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Cera Alba
Emollient
Magnesium Sulfate
Propanediol
Solvent
Gelidium Sesquipedale Extract
Skin ProtectingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder
Skin Conditioning
Linoleic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientTocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialOleic Acid
Emollient
Bisabolol
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Linolenic Acid
Cleansing
Water, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Cera Alba, Magnesium Sulfate, Propanediol, Gelidium Sesquipedale Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Linoleic Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Tocopherol, Sodium Anisate, Oleic Acid, Bisabolol, Citric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Linolenic 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 Powder comes from the aloe plant.
You may know Aloe to be a good sunburn reliever and inflammation reducer. This is because it contains many components that are known to help reduce irritation and itchiness.
Aloe leaves are also great moisturizers. They are naturally rich in polysaccharides, a carbohydrate made of sugars. Polysaccharides are able to mimic the carbs found in the top layer of your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
Aloe contains the antioxidants Vitamins A, C, and E. These vitamins neutralize free radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells, such as pollution.
Aloe does not protect against UV rays, despite it soothing sunburns.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice PowderThis 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.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Anisate comes from fennel. It is used as a preservative and to add flavoring.
Sodium Anisate has antimicrobial properties.
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 HyaluronateSodium levulinate is the a sodium salt of Levulinic Acid. Oncedissolved in an aqueous solution, the two ingredients become identical. It is usually derived from renewable plant sources like corn starch or sugarcane.
In skincare, it mostly acts as a skin conditioning agent that keeps skin soft and hydrated. It also acts as a preservative booster by inhibiting the growth of mold, yeast, and bacteria.
It's often paired with Sodium Anisate as the two create a broad-spectrum preservative system that is popular in "natural" formulations.
This ingredient is water-soluble.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be non-irritated and there are no restrictions for use in EU cosmetics. The FDA also allows this ingredient to be used as a food-grade flavoring agent.
Learn more about Sodium LevulinateTocopherol 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
