What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Propanediol
Solvent
Water
Skin ConditioningTapioca Starch
Sodium Stearate
CleansingDimethyl Lauramide/Myristamide
EmulsifyingDiatomaceous Earth
Abrasive
Glycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Silica
Abrasive
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSaccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Lactobacillus/Papaya Fruit Ferment Extract
Abrasive
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAvena Sativa Kernel Flour
Abrasive
Carica Papaya Seed Oil
Humectant
Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBisabolol
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Coumarin
Perfuming
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Farnesol
Perfuming
Benzyl Salicylate
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Limonene
Perfuming
Glyceryl Undecylenate
Emollient
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Propanediol, Water, Tapioca Starch, Sodium Stearate, Dimethyl Lauramide/Myristamide, Diatomaceous Earth, Glycerin, Parfum, Silica, Glyceryl Caprylate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus/Papaya Fruit Ferment Extract, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Avena Sativa Kernel Flour, Carica Papaya Seed Oil, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Bisabolol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Benzyl Alcohol, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal, Lactobacillus Ferment, Farnesol, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Maltodextrin
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningMaranta Arundinacea Root Powder
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Sodium Stearate
CleansingHydrated Silica
Abrasive
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Charcoal
Abrasive
Magnesium Hydroxide
AbsorbentBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Glycerin, Water, Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder, Propanediol, Sodium Stearate, Hydrated Silica, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Maltodextrin, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Charcoal, Magnesium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
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 AllantoinAloe 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 JuiceBenzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolSaccharomyces Ferment Filtrate is the watery, nutrient-rich liquid left over after you ferment a yeast (genus Saccharomyces).
The yeast cells themselves are filtered out so you're getting the "broth" of skin-friendly molecules: amino acids, peptides, minerals, vitamins, organic acids, and beta-glucan.
Evidence-wise, its relatives (like Galactomyces) are the ones with the most published lab work. Keratinocyte studies show these ferments can boost barrier-related markers. This ingredient is generally assumed to behave similarly thanks to its overlapping composition.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its a fermentation filtrate. The exact composition is batch-variable and can include fatty acids and lipids byproducts.
Learn more about Saccharomyces Ferment FiltrateSodium stearate is the sodium salt of stearic acid.
The structure of sodium stearate makes it both a cleanser and emulsifier. As a cleanser, it helps dissolve dirt, oil, and other pollutants. As an emulsifier, it helps prevent ingredients from separating. This adds stability to the formula.
Water. 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
