What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Isohexadecane
EmollientParfum
Masking
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialGlyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethicone
Emollient
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Polymethylsilsesquioxane
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingAminomethyl Propanol
BufferingPEG-100 Stearate
Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Sodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyacrylate-13
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Polyisobutene
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Water, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isohexadecane, Parfum, Cetyl Alcohol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Dimethicone, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Aminomethyl Propanol, PEG-100 Stearate, Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Tocopherol, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyacrylate-13, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polyisobutene, Limonene, Linalool, Polysorbate 20, Benzyl Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningChlorella Vulgaris Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Phytate
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Dimethyl Sulfone
SolventDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Citrus Nobilis Oil
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Tromethamine
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Water, Chlorella Vulgaris Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 80, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Hyaluronic Acid, Aleurites Moluccanus Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Carbomer, Sodium Phytate, Panthenol, Dimethyl Sulfone, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Citrus Nobilis Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Tromethamine, Allantoin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Reviews
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 JuiceThis 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 ButterThis ingredient is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
It helps thicken a product's formula and makes it easier to spread by dissolving clumping compounds.
Caprylic Triglyceride is made by combining glycerin with coconut oil, forming a clear liquid. Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. It is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid. In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Be sure to patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideGlycerin (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 GlycerinStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter comes from the Theobroma cacoa, or Cacao tree. Cacao trees are native to tropical landscapes.
Like other plant butters, Cacao seed butter is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and soften your skin. By creating a barrier to trap moisture in, emollients help keep your skin hydrated.
Cacao seed butter contains antioxidants known as polyphenols. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules by stabilizing them. Unstable free-radicals may cause damage to your skin cells. Antioxidants may help with anti-aging.
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter can be bad for acne prone skin.
Learn more about Theobroma Cacao Seed ButterTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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
