What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingBehentrimonium Chloride
PreservativePsidium Guajava Fruit Extract
AstringentTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
AntioxidantPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningAnnona Muricata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningDipropylene Glycol
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialMaltodextrin
AbsorbentParfum
MaskingBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingBenzyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialBenzyl Salicylate
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingHydroxycitronellal
PerfumingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Behentrimonium Chloride, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil, Annona Muricata Fruit Extract, Dipropylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Maltodextrin, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningCreatine
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
AntioxidantPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
MaskingFoeniculum Vulgare Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantPEG-12 Dimethicone
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningDicetyldimonium Chloride
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingIsopropyl Alcohol
SolventSodium Phytate
Benzyl Alcohol
PerfumingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingParfum
MaskingBenzyl Benzoate
AntimicrobialHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Creatine, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Tocopherol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare Seed Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract, Glycerin, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Water, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Polysorbate 20, Isopropyl Alcohol, Sodium Phytate, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, Hexyl Cinnamal
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 JuiceBenzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholBenzyl Benzoate is usually created from the condensation of benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol. It is used as a preservative, solvent, and has a floral/balsamic scent in large amounts.
As a preservative, Benzyl Benzoate works against bacteria and fungus. It is often used to treat scabies and lice in medicine.
Solvents are used to keep ingredients together in a product. They can help dissolve ingredients to stable bases or help evenly distribute ingredients throughout the product.
Due to its fragrance, Benzyl Benzoate can be sensitizing and may cause contact dermatitis. It is a known EU allergen. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have any concerns.
Benzyl Benzoate can be naturally found in cranberries and peaches.
Learn more about Benzyl BenzoateEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumThis ingredient is also known as Avocado oil. It's the cold-pressed oil from the flesh of the avocado fruit packed with fatty acids (mostly oleic acid).
The rich fatty acid profile allows it to function as a skin conditioning agent and emollient; it helps soften and smooth skin while reducing water loss.
Preclinical research has found that topical avocado oil increased collagen synthesis and reduced inflammation during wound healing, giving it some skin-repairing credibility.
The unsaponifiable fraction of the oil is also interesting: studies on avocado unsaponifiables showed that it helped skin produce more collagen and other structural compounds that support healing.
The CIR Expert Panel has found this ingredient to be non-irritating in formulations.
It's a great ingredient for dry or compromised skin. Just know it may not be fungal acne safe. This is because the oleic acid content falls within the range that Malassezia can use as a food source.
Learn more about Persea Gratissima 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.
Water. 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