What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Estriol
Estradiol
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Dimethyl Sulfone
SolventOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Raphanus Sativus Root Extract
AstringentCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Estriol, Estradiol, Water, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Dimethyl Sulfone, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate, Stearyl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Raphanus Sativus Root Extract, Carbomer, Allantoin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Lecithin, Sodium Bicarbonate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Mangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Astaxanthin
Skin Conditioning
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Acer Rubrum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAcer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningMalva Sylvestris Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMyrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPhyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract
HumectantAlcohol Denat.
Antimicrobial
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Potassium Sunflowerseedate
CleansingTapioca Starch
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingLecithin
Emollient
Cera Alba
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Passiflora Edulis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLitsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Glycerin, Astaxanthin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Acer Rubrum Leaf Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Malva Sylvestris Leaf Extract, Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Alcohol Denat., Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Potassium Sunflowerseedate, Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Cera Alba, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Passiflora Edulis Fruit Extract, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil
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 also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.
The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.
A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.
Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.
It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.
Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.
Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.
Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".
Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).
The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.
Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).
Learn more about Cocos Nucifera OilGlycerin (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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinThis ingredient is also known as olive oil. It has been used in skincare for centuries and science largely backs up its reputation as a nourishing emollient.
The main components of olive oil are oleic acid (55-83%), linoleic acid (3.5-20%), and palmitic acid (7-20%). Oleic acid promotes skin regeneration and helps regulate inflammatory responses.
Squalene is also naturally present in olive oil and exhibits moisturizing and antioxidant properties.
The polyphenols in olive oil also show anti-aging promise; one clinical study found a measurable improvement in skin appearance after 30 days of topical serum use.
Just be aware that applying olive oil directly to skin can weaken the barrier and cause redness. One study with volunteers found even people without sensitive skin experienced a significant reduction in stratum corneum integrity and induced mild erythema.
It's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted formula (instead of putting it on skin directly from the bottle).
Because it has a 2-3 on the comedogenic scale, it is a moderate risk for acne-prone skin. However, the overall formulation of a product matters more than a few ingredients with comedogenic ratings.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because of the oleic and palmitic acid content. These fall within the C11-24 fatty acid range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize to grow.
Overall, olive oil is a well-studied and nourishing skincare ingredient.
Learn more about Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
