What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Cetyl Alcohol
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningCannabis Sativa Seed Oil
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningMel
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientVitis Vinifera Seed Oil
EmollientOenothera Biennis Oil
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientAlgae
Skin ConditioningBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicDimethyl Sulfone
SolventTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantMentha Piperita Oil
MaskingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Panthenol, Mel, Glycerin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Algae, Biotin, Dimethyl Sulfone, Tocopheryl Acetate, Mentha Piperita Oil
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningStearyl Alcohol
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningStearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningAstrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingPsidium Guajava Seed Oil
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeCetrimonium Chloride
AntimicrobialCapryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Skin ConditioningDiheptyl Succinate
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Sodium Benzoate
MaskingPolycitronellol
Lactic Acid
BufferingChlorophyllin-Copper Complex
AntioxidantParfum
MaskingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Persea Gratissima Oil, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Psidium Guajava Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Diheptyl Succinate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Sodium Benzoate, Polycitronellol, Lactic Acid, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Parfum
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 JuiceBehentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateThis 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 ButterCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholThis 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 OilPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolWater. 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