What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
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Benefits
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Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantIsoamyl Laurate
EmollientBehentrimonium Chloride
PreservativeCetyl Alcohol
EmollientSqualane
EmollientSalvia Hispanica Seed Extract
EmollientPropanediol
SolventGlyceryl Ricinoleate
EmollientHydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Skin ConditioningPereskia Aculeata Callus Extract
Panthenol
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialArginine
MaskingAlanine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingGlycine
BufferingHistidine
HumectantIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningPhenylalanine
MaskingProline
Skin ConditioningSerine
MaskingTartaric Acid
BufferingThreonine
Valine
MaskingRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialHydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract
Momordica Cochinchinensis Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningRicinus Communis Seed Oil
MaskingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingHelianthus Annuus Extract
EmollientPCA
HumectantLactobacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningLinum Usitatissimum Seed Extract
PerfumingHydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
EmollientSodium PCA
HumectantOryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylic Acid
CleansingGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
EmollientHydroxypropylammonium Gluconate
HumectantHydroxypropylgluconamide
HumectantItaconic Acid
AntimicrobialPolyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-113
Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Tocopherol
AntioxidantXylitol
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Lactate
BufferingSodium Metabisulfite
AntioxidantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingParfum
MaskingAlpha-Isomethyl Ionone
PerfumingBenzyl Salicylate
PerfumingCitral
PerfumingCoumarin
PerfumingEugenol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingHexyl Cinnamal
PerfumingHydroxycitronellal
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Isoamyl Laurate, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol, Squalane, Salvia Hispanica Seed Extract, Propanediol, Glyceryl Ricinoleate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Pereskia Aculeata Callus Extract, Panthenol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Arginine, Alanine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Tartaric Acid, Threonine, Valine, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Momordica Cochinchinensis Seed Extract, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Helianthus Annuus Extract, PCA, Lactobacillus Ferment, Linum Usitatissimum Seed Extract, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Sodium PCA, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Caprylic Acid, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate, Hydroxypropylgluconamide, Itaconic Acid, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyquaternium-113, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Tocopherol, Xylitol, Citric Acid, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Hydroxide, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Linalool
Rosa Damascena Flower Water
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantBehentrimonium Chloride
PreservativeCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCetyl Esters
EmollientPrunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
MaskingPersea Gratissima Butter
Skin ConditioningEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentChondrus Crispus Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Skin ConditioningChenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialLactobacillus
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
EmollientGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Leaf Oil
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
MaskingCitrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed
PerfumingSodium PCA
HumectantSodium Lactate
BufferingArginine
MaskingAspartic Acid
MaskingPCA
HumectantGlycine
BufferingAlanine
MaskingSerine
MaskingValine
MaskingProline
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Isoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
HumectantPhenylalanine
MaskingCitronellol
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingCitral
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingRosa Damascena Flower Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Esters, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Persea Gratissima Butter, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Lactobacillus, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Pelargonium Graveolens Leaf Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Citronellol, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral, Limonene
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Alanine is an amino acid and is already found in the human body. Our skin uses alanine to build collagen, elastin, and keratin.
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
A clinical study showed applying 2.5% arginine hydrochloride to atopic dermatitis skin showed significant urea levels in the stratum corneum and improved moisture in just four weeks.
Arginine is also a precursor to nitric oxide; nitric oxide improves microcirculation and supports wound healing and collagen synthesis.
One study found that an amino acid complex containing Arginine reduced skin irritation, improved hydration, and accelerated skin repair in clinical / in-vivo studies.
Arginine itself is an amino acid and not a fatty acid, oil, or ester. On its own, it's not a direct food source for Malassezia, or the yeast that causes fungal acne.
Learn more about ArginineAspartic Acid is an amino acid that our bodies produce naturally. It is an antioxidant.
Our body uses Aspartic Acid to help build collagen and elastin. It also plays a role in hydrating skin.
This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.
It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.
Cetearyl 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.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCitral is the molecule responsible for the fresh lemon scent in lemon, lime, and lemongrass. It is a fragrance ingredient that can be created from plant essential oils or synthetically.
Though Citral has documented antimicrobial activity against acne bacteria (which is where the marketing claims about it being good for acne-prone skin originate), real formulas use it at fragrance-level concentrations under 1% so there's likely no skin benefit.
You should know this ingredient is a known EU fragrance allergen.
Animal studies classifies this ingredient as a weak-to-moderate skin sensitizer and clinical patch testing on eczema patients confirmed it to be both a contact allergen and irritant.
The term 'citral' is a collective term for two geometric isomers: geranial/Citral A and neral/Citral B.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about CitralGeraniol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is the main component of citronellol. It is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol.
Monoterpenes are naturally found in many parts of different plants.
Geraniol can be found in many essential oils including Rose Oil and Citronella Oil. The scent of Geraniol is often described as "rose-like". Many foods also contain Geraniol for fruit flavoring.
Geraniol can irritate the skin when exposed to air. However, irritation depends on the ability of geraniol to penetrate into the skin. In general, geraniol is not able to penetrate skin easily.
Geraniol is colorless and has low water-solubility. However, it is soluble in common organic solvents.
Like citronellol, it is a natural insect repellent.
2,6-Octadien-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (2E)-
Learn more about GeraniolGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlycine is the smallest amino acid and a key building block of collagen. It's part if your skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
A study from 2022 found that an amino acid complex featuring taurine, arginine, and glycine significantly reduced skin irritation, improved redness, and accelerated the skin repair process.
This ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChlorideHistidine is a semi-essential amino acid used by our bodies to create protein. It has humectant and skin conditioning properties.
Our bodies use histidine to create filaggrin - filaggrin is a structural protein that the skin uses in maintaining skin barrier.
One study found histidine and carnosine to be a dynamic duo for your skin:
Oral histidine has also been found to help with filaggrin-deficit skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis.
Why is it considered a semi-essential amino acid? This is because adults are able to create it but children must get it from their diet.
Learn more about HistidineIsoleucine is an amino acid that helps reinforce our skin barrier. This amino acid plays a role in creating protein for the body.
Fun fact: Isoleucine is found in meat, fish, dairy, legumes, and nuts.
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc. The trade name for this ingredient is Leucidal.
Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid.
This ingredient has antimicrobial properties and helps prevent the growth of bacteria in a product.
Leuconostoc is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Learn more about Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment FiltrateLimonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about LimoneneLinalool is a fragrance and helps add scent to products. It's derived from common plants such as cinnamon, mint, citrus, and lavender.
Like Limonene, this ingredient oxidizes when exposed to air. Oxidized linalool can cause allergies and skin sensitivity.
This ingredient has a scent that is floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolPCA is derived from amino acids and is naturally found in our skin's barrier.
As a humectant, PCA helps draw and hold moisture to the skin. Studies show it is effective at helping the skin stay hydrated long-term.
Phenylalanine is an amino acid. It is a skin soothing and hydrating ingredient. Amino acids play a crucial role in wound healing and skin hydration.
This ingredient is also used to help even out skin tone due to its ability to disrupt the melanin production process.
Two structures of phenylalanine exist: L-phenylalanine and D-phenylalanine. L-phenylalanine is essential, this means our bodies cannot produce it naturally and we must get it from foods. Our bodies convert D-phenylalanine to neurotransmitters, and D-phenylalanine is found in our bodies naturally.
Some foods that contain L-phenylalanine include eggs, soybeans, beef, milk.
Learn more about PhenylalanineProline is a non-essential amino acid, meaning your body can make it on its own. In skincare, it is a skin conditioning ingredient that keeps skin soft and hydrated.
It makes up about 23% of the collagen molecule (collagen is the protein responsible for keeping your skin firm) and is involved in your skin's natural hyaluronic acid production. When applied topically, proline can penetrate the skin fairly well due to its small molecular size.
Reviews of this ingredient have found it to be neither a dermal irritant nor a sensitizer.
Fun fact: Proline can be found in protein-rich foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.
Learn more about ProlineSerine is a non-essential amino acid (your body makes it on its own!). It is a major player in your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Serine is one of your NMF's most abundant components that works as a skin-identical humectant. Its hydroxyl group grabs onto water molecules to boost hydration without any heaviness or occlusion.
Research on a hydrogel with serine confirmed this serine got delivered to your stratum corneum and demonstrated enhanced skin moisturization.
Interestingly serine also helps your skin produce filaggrin, a protein that keeps your skin barrier strong and used to create collagen.
Learn more about SerineSodium Lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid, an AHA. It is a humectant and sometimes used to adjust the pH of a product.
This ingredient is part of our skin's NMF, or natural moisturizing factor. Our NMF is essential for the hydration of our top skin layers and plasticity of skin. NMF also influences our skin's natural acid mantle and pH, which protects our skin from harmful bacteria.
High percentages of Sodium Lactate can have an exfoliating effect.
Fun fact: Sodium Lactate is produced from fermented sugar.
Learn more about Sodium LactateSodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCAThreonine is an amino-acid. It helps hydrate the skin and has antioxidant benefits.
Our skin uses threonine for creating collagen and elastin. Humans are not able to create threonine and must get it through eating foods such as fish, lentils, poultry, sesame seeds, and more.
Valine is an essential amino acid. It is used by our bodies for tissue repair and muscle growth.
An essential amino acid is one in which our bodies cannot naturally produce so we must get them through diet. Foods such as eggs, dairy, red meat, and fish contain valine.
This ingredient can either be derived from an animal product or be synthetically created.
Learn more about Valine