What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
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Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Cetearyl Alcohol
EmollientPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin ConditioningCucurbita Pepo Seed Oil
EmollientSesamum Indicum Seed Oil
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientOryza Sativa Bran Oil
EmollientMacadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
EmollientOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingCannabis Sativa Seed Oil
EmollientUlmus Fulva Bark Extract
MoisturisingRicinus Communis Seed Oil
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCera Alba
EmollientCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientDiethyl Phthalate
MaskingWater, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Fruit Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Ulmus Fulva Bark Extract, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cera Alba, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Diethyl Phthalate
Water
Skin ConditioningOpuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
EmollientPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
MaskingUrtica Dioica Extract
AstringentCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Olus Oil
EmollientAlmondeth-20
EmulsifyingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeCitric Acid
BufferingWater, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Urtica Dioica Extract, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Olus Oil, Almondeth-20, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid
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 MethosulfateCetearyl 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.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholPhenoxyethanol 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.
Jojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilWater. 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