What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Ethylhexyl Stearate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Allantoin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Ether
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Triacetin
AntimicrobialPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Chondrus Crispus Powder
Abrasive
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingTocopherol
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Water, Glycerin, Urea, Octyldodecanol, Dicaprylyl Ether, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Stearyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Triacetin, Panthenol, Allantoin, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Carboxymethyl Betaglucan, Caprylyl Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinCaprylyl 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 or alcohol, 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate Citrate is a citric acid ester of glyceryl stearate.
It is an emulsifier, emollient, and a surfactant.
Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating. Common ingredients include oils and water, which do not mix naturally. Emulsifiers have properties that help keep ingredients such as these together.
Emollients help soothe and soften the skin. They do this by creating a protective film on your skin. This barrier helps trap moisture and keeps your skin hydrated. Emollients may be effective at treating dry or itchy skin.
Surfactants help gather oils, dirt, and other pollutants from the skin. This helps them to be easily rinsed away.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate CitrateTocopherol 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
