What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate
CleansingLauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningTaraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate
CleansingDisodium EDTA
Inulin
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
Cleansing
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Water, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Caprylyl Glycol, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Taraxacum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Lactic Acid, Sodium Sweetalmondamphoacetate, Disodium EDTA, Inulin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide, Maltodextrin, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingGlyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Sodium Chloride
MaskingMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Citronellol
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Arctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Symphytum Officinale Root Extract
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Water, Myristic Acid, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glyceryl Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Chloride, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Phenethyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citrus Aurantium Amara Leaf/Twig Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Citronellol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Symphytum Officinale Root Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Geraniol, Limonene
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 Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.
Aloe is one of the most well-known natural soothing ingredients, and for good reason. It’s full of water and has a cooling, calming effect on the skin, especially when it’s sunburned, itchy, or irritated. Aloe also helps your skin stay hydrated and smooth by mimicking what healthy skin naturally produces. On top of that, it contains vitamins and nutrients that support skin recovery.Â
It doesn’t protect you from the sun, but it can help your skin bounce back after too much time in it.
Let’s get into the details:
Aloe contains antioxidant Vitamins A, C, and E, which help fight off free radicals (unstable molecules from things like pollution that can damage your skin).
It’s also rich in polysaccharides, which are natural sugars that help hydrate the skin by acting like the skin’s own moisturizing agents. These, along with other sugars like monosaccharides, help form a protective barrier that locks in moisture.
Aloe works as both a humectant and an emollient. That means it draws water into the skin (humectant) and helps trap it there (emollient), making it an effective natural moisturizer.
You’ll also find a mix of other skin-supporting ingredients in aloe, including folic acid, choline, calcium, amino acids, fatty acids, and even Vitamin B12.
Out of the 420+ species of aloe, Aloe barbadensis is the most widely used in skincare products thanks to its gentle yet effective properties.
There are over 420 species of aloe but Aloe Barbadensis is the most commonly used for topical products.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf ExtractCaprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
