What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Isododecane
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate
Absorbent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Glycine Max Oil
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Disodium EDTA
Soybean Glycerides
EmollientGlyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantMyristyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Glucose
Humectant
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Isododecane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glycine Max Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Stearyl Alcohol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Propylene Glycol, Coco-Glucoside, Allantoin, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Soybean Glycerides, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Myristyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glucose, Arachidyl Alcohol, Dipropylene Glycol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Dimethicone
Emollient
Glyceryl Laurate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCentella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract
MaskingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Tromethamine
BufferingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Benzyl Benzoate
Antimicrobial
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Laurate, Stearic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract, Allantoin, Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tromethamine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool, Parfum
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 JuiceCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that 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. Just 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.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
