What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientStearic Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantCetyl Alcohol
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingMenthyl Lactate
MaskingCoco-Glucoside
CleansingSilica
AbrasivePhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingSucrose Stearate
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingHamamelis Virginiana Water
AstringentTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientLonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCannabis Sativa Seed Oil
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningLonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
PerfumingAlcohol
AntimicrobialSodium Phytate
Canola Oil
EmollientRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialTocopherol
AntioxidantGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientCitric Acid
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingLimonene
PerfumingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingWater, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Menthyl Lactate, Coco-Glucoside, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Sucrose Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Alcohol, Sodium Phytate, Canola Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Glycine Soja Oil, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCetearyl Olivate
Decyl Glucoside
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingSorbitol
HumectantCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingCetyl Palmitate
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientLecithin
EmollientCarica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningLactobacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Palmitate
EmulsifyingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientPhytic Acid
Tocopherol
AntioxidantCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract
Emulsion StabilisingCitrus Grandis Fruit Extract
AstringentPyrus Malus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCucumis Melo Cantalupensis Fruit Extract
AstringentImpatiens Balsamina Flower Extract
AstringentSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantLavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
MaskingHydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningHaematococcus Pluvialis Extract
AntioxidantXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitrus Aurantifolia Peel Extract
CleansingMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMentha Piperita Extract
CleansingPrunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningRubus Idaeus Fruit Extract
AstringentVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialWater, Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Decyl Glucoside, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sorbitan Olivate, Sorbitol, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Cetyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Lecithin, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sorbitan Palmitate, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Phytic Acid, Tocopherol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract, Citrus Grandis Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, Cucumis Melo Cantalupensis Fruit Extract, Impatiens Balsamina Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Haematococcus Pluvialis Extract, Xanthan Gum, Citrus Aurantifolia Peel Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Mentha Piperita Extract, Prunus Armeniaca Fruit Extract, Rubus Idaeus Fruit Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
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 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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilPhenoxyethanol 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.
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter comes from the Theobroma cacoa, or Cacao tree. Cacao trees are native to tropical landscapes.
Like other plant butters, Cacao seed butter is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and soften your skin. By creating a barrier to trap moisture in, emollients help keep your skin hydrated.
Cacao seed butter contains antioxidants known as polyphenols. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules by stabilizing them. Unstable free-radicals may cause damage to your skin cells. Antioxidants may help with anti-aging.
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter can be bad for acne prone skin.
Learn more about Theobroma Cacao Seed ButterTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum