What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate
Emulsifying
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientAnethum Graveolens Herb Extract
Perfuming
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingLactic Acid
Buffering
Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Ferulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSalicylic Acid
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Retinyl Palmitate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Tocopherol, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Anethum Graveolens Herb Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Lactic Acid, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Ferulic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil
Antimicrobial
Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Urtica Dioica Extract
AstringentWaltheria Indica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Dextrin
AbsorbentFerulic Acid
Antimicrobial
Lecithin
Emollient
Mannitol
Humectant
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Cerasus Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningRosa Centifolia Flower Extract
Astringent
Rosa Damascena Flower Extract
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSuperoxide Dismutase
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Sodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingXylitol
Humectant
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialWater, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Xylitylglucoside, Betaine, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Panthenol, Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Anhydroxylitol, Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Urtica Dioica Extract, Waltheria Indica Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Dextrin, Ferulic Acid, Lecithin, Mannitol, Phospholipids, Prunus Cerasus Flower Extract, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Superoxide Dismutase, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Levulinate, Xanthan Gum, Xylitol, Sodium Anisate
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 JuiceCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidFerulic Acid is a plant based antioxidant that can be naturally found in the cell walls of grains like rice, oats, and corn. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, and has the ability to boost the performance of other antioxidants as well.
A well-known study found that adding Ferulic Acid to a solution of Vitamins C and E doubled the photoprotection of skin. This is why you'll often see it paired with Vitamin C or Vitamin E serums rather than sold on its own.
A 2025 review of 18 human studies found that using Ferulic Acid (0.5-1%) daily for one to three months showed improvements in:
As far as allergies go, Ferulic acid is generally well-tolerated but can cause an allergic reaction in very rare cases. It's also worth noting that Ferulic acid is often extracted from plant sources like rice bran or wheat bran, so be sure to path test if you have known grain allergies.
Outside of skincare, researchers are also looking into Ferulic Acid for its potential benefits in areas like diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart health.
Learn more about Ferulic AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Anisate comes from fennel. It is used as a preservative and to add flavoring.
Sodium Anisate has antimicrobial properties.
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 HyaluronateSodium levulinate is the a sodium salt of Levulinic Acid. Oncedissolved in an aqueous solution, the two ingredients become identical. It is usually derived from renewable plant sources like corn starch or sugarcane.
In skincare, it mostly acts as a skin conditioning agent that keeps skin soft and hydrated. It also acts as a preservative booster by inhibiting the growth of mold, yeast, and bacteria.
It's often paired with Sodium Anisate as the two create a broad-spectrum preservative system that is popular in "natural" formulations.
This ingredient is water-soluble.
The CIR Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety has concluded this ingredient to be non-irritated and there are no restrictions for use in EU cosmetics. The FDA also allows this ingredient to be used as a food-grade flavoring agent.
Learn more about Sodium LevulinateTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
