What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingPalmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Acetate
BufferingIsopropyl Alcohol
Solvent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Potassium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Allantoin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Triethanolamine
BufferingIsopentane
SolventLaureth-23
Cleansing
Sorbitol
Humectant
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Isobutane
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantHydroxypropylcellulose
EmulsifyingDisodium Phosphate
BufferingPolysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingSilica
Abrasive
Hydroxycitronellal
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Palmitic Acid, Triethanolamine, Isopentane, Laureth-23, Sorbitol, Stearic Acid, Isobutane, Glyceryl Oleate, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Bisabolol, Allantoin, CI 77891, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Disodium Phosphate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Phosphate, Silica, Hydroxycitronellal
Reviews
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 JuiceGlycerin (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 GlycerinHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcellulosePalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources.
In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Stearic 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 AcidWater. 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
