What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Algae
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Humectant
Collagen
Moisturising
Elastin
Skin ConditioningAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
PEG-100 Stearate
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Algae, Squalane, Allantoin, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Collagen, Elastin, Ascorbic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Sorbitan Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Water
Skin ConditioningEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-40 Stearate
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Tristearate
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Urea
Buffering
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Saccharide Hydrolysate
HumectantParfum
Masking
Linalool
Perfuming
Hexyl Cinnamal
Perfuming
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Alanine
Masking
Glycine
Buffering
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningCreatine
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Maris Aqua
HumectantWater, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Glycerin, PEG-40 Stearate, Sorbitan Tristearate, Phenoxyethanol, Dimethicone, Sodium Benzoate, Allantoin, Urea, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Parfum, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Alanine, Glycine, Magnesium Aspartate, Creatine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopherol, Maris Aqua
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinAloe 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 JuiceCetyl 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 AlcoholDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeGlycerin (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.
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
