What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHeptyl Glucoside
Cellulose Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCarrageenan
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Ceratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientSucrose
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Fructose
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Withania Somnifera Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Pelargonium Graveolens Leaf Oil
Sodium Phytate
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Citral
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Heptyl Glucoside, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Benzyl Alcohol, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Sucrose, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Fructose, Glycerin, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Pelargonium Graveolens Leaf Oil, Sodium Phytate, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Citral, Geraniol, Citronellol, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCaprylyl Glucoside
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Cellulose
Absorbent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil
Perfuming
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Sodium Phytate
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Caprylyl Glucoside, Coco-Glucoside, Cellulose, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Citrus Reticulata Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Peel Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Sodium Phytate, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Linalool, Limonene, Geraniol, Citronellol
Alternatives
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 Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.
Aloe is one of the most well-known natural soothing ingredients, and for good reason. It’s full of water and has a cooling, calming effect on the skin, especially when it’s sunburned, itchy, or irritated. Aloe also helps your skin stay hydrated and smooth by mimicking what healthy skin naturally produces. On top of that, it contains vitamins and nutrients that support skin recovery.Â
It doesn’t protect you from the sun, but it can help your skin bounce back after too much time in it.
Let’s get into the details:
Aloe contains antioxidant Vitamins A, C, and E, which help fight off free radicals (unstable molecules from things like pollution that can damage your skin).
It’s also rich in polysaccharides, which are natural sugars that help hydrate the skin by acting like the skin’s own moisturizing agents. These, along with other sugars like monosaccharides, help form a protective barrier that locks in moisture.
Aloe works as both a humectant and an emollient. That means it draws water into the skin (humectant) and helps trap it there (emollient), making it an effective natural moisturizer.
You’ll also find a mix of other skin-supporting ingredients in aloe, including folic acid, choline, calcium, amino acids, fatty acids, and even Vitamin B12.
Out of the 420+ species of aloe, Aloe barbadensis is the most widely used in skincare products thanks to its gentle yet effective properties.
There are over 420 species of aloe but Aloe Barbadensis is the most commonly used for topical products.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf ExtractBenzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCitronellol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is often derived from plants such as roses. In fact, it can be found in many essential oils including geranium, lavender, neroli, and more. The scent of Citronellol is often described as "fresh, grassy, and citrus-like".
Since the Citronellol molecule is already unstable, Citronellol becomes irritating on the skin when exposed to air.
Citronellol is a modified terpene. Terpenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons found in plants. They make up the primary part of essential oils.
Citronellol is not able to be absorbed into deeper layers of the skin. It has low permeability,
Citronellol is also a natural insect repellent.
Learn more about CitronellolDehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
Geraniol 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 GeraniolLinalool 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 LinaloolSodium Phytate is the synthetic salt form of phytic acid. Phytic acid is an antioxidant and can be found in plant seeds.
Sodium Phytate is a chelating agent. Chelating agents help prevent metals from binding to water. This helps stabilize the ingredients and the product.
Tocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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 Water
