What's inside
What's inside
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOpuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil
Emollient
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Urtica Dioica Extract
AstringentCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Equisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Olus Oil
Emollient
Almondeth-20
EmulsifyingTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, 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
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Flower
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Polyester-37
Skin ConditioningPrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Cellulose
Absorbent
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Chromium Oxide Greens
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetyl Alcohol, Helianthus Annuus Flower, Cetearyl Alcohol, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Polyester-37, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Cellulose, Persea Gratissima Oil, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Chromium Oxide Greens
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.
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 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.
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
