What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Citrate
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract
Antioxidant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Stearyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Panthenol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Allantoin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Isopropyl Palmitate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientJojoba Esters
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Methylpropanediol
SolventSorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Glutamine
Skin ConditioningActinidia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Aminomethyl Propanol
BufferingAvena Sativa Bran Extract
Abrasive
Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract
Antioxidant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Citric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract
Emulsion Stabilising
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningFructose
Humectant
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingLecithin
Emollient
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingPolysorbate 40
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 60
Emulsifying
Sh-Oligopeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Oligopeptide-2
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-1
Skin Conditioning
Sh-Polypeptide-11
Sh-Polypeptide-9
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Withania Somnifera Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Jojoba Esters, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Sorbitan Stearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Acetyl Glutamine, Actinidia Chinensis Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aminomethyl Propanol, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract, Butylene Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Cetyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Extract, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Dimethicone, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fructose, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Lecithin, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 40, Polysorbate 60, Sh-Oligopeptide-1, Sh-Oligopeptide-2, Sh-Polypeptide-1, Sh-Polypeptide-11, Sh-Polypeptide-9, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopherol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate
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 JuiceThis 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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearatePhenoxyethanol 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.
Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateWater. 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
