What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Salicylic Acid 0.5%
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Snail Secretion Filtrate
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPulsatilla Koreana Extract
Skin ConditioningUsnea Barbata Extract
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Arginine
Masking
Althaea Rosea Root Extract
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Beta-Glucan
Skin Conditioning
Polyglutamic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Aspalathus Linearis Extract
Skin ConditioningPortulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
AstringentSalicylic Acid 0.5%, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Snail Secretion Filtrate, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata Extract, Polysorbate 20, Arginine, Althaea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Beta-Glucan, Polyglutamic Acid, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Lecithin
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Medicago Sativa Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSpinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMagnesium Chloride
Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine
Skin Conditioning
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5
Skin Conditioning
Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Citronellol
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Ascorbic Acid, Lecithin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Brassica Oleracea Capitata Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Medicago Sativa Leaf Extract, Spinacia Oleracea Leaf Extract, Parfum, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Magnesium Chloride, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool
Reviews
Alternatives
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 a botanical extract pulled from the leaves of aloe vera and one of the most studied plant ingredients in cosmetics.
The inner leaf gel it comes from is mostly water (~99-99.5%) and the remaining fraction is made up of pretty good stuff: polysaccharides, vitamins, phenolics, and enzymes.
Its headline job is hydration.
The star polysaccharide in aloe, acemannan, is a humectant that retains moisture and helps reduce trans-epidermal water loss.
Aloe also has real soothing credentials; it contains anti-inflammatory compounds like bradykinase and C-glucosyl chromone that help calm irritation and redness.
On the repair side, lab work shows that acemannan wakes up your skin's repair cells (fibroblasts), prompting them to multiply and speed up healing.
There's some human data for cosmetic benefit too: a cream containing 10% Aloe Barbadensis leaf extract improved skin hydration and elasticity in a real-use study.
Safety-wise, this ingredient is well-regarded with just one rare downside; there have been some case reports of acute eczema, contact urticaria, and dermatitis in people who applied aloe-derived ingredients topically. Those with a known aloe or Liliaceae sensitivity should patch test.
Typical use levels range widely, from under 1% up to 90%+ depending on the format and the effect you are after.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis 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 GlycerinPentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:
Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.
On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.
Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.
Learn more about Pentylene Glycol
