What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Brassica Alcohol
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicHydrolyzed Corn Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Soy Protein
Humectant
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Laurus Nobilis Leaf Extract
MaskingPalmaria Palmata Extract
Skin ProtectingSantalum Album Oil
Masking
Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil
Masking
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil
Masking
Ferula Galbaniflua Resin Oil
Antimicrobial
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCetyl Esters
Emollient
Isododecane
EmollientCetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
Buffering
Isopropyl Myristate
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Brassica Alcohol, Propanediol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Biotin, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Laurus Nobilis Leaf Extract, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Santalum Album Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Ferula Galbaniflua Resin Oil, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Esters, Isododecane, Cetrimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate, Citric Acid, Isopropyl Myristate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Parfum, Sodium Hydroxide, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
Reviews
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 JuiceYou may know this ingredient as argan oil. It has emollient and skin conditioning properties that help soften skin and reinforce the lipid barrier.
The fatty acid profile of argan oil is roughly 45-55% oleic acid, 28-36% linoleic acid, 10-15% palmitic acid, and 5-7% stearic acid. It also contains vitamin E, sterols, squalene, and polyphenols like ferulic acid.
Two clinical studies in postmenopausal women found that applying argan oil for 60 days significantly improved skin elasticity and moisturization (reduced transepidermal water loss and increased epidermal water content).
Since it is high in oleic and linoleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Both of these fall in the C11-C24 range that Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Argania Spinosa Kernel OilBenzyl 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 AlcoholCetearyl 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 AlcoholDehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
Learn more about Dehydroacetic AcidThis 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 Oil
