What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHeptyl Glucoside
SurfactantCellulose 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 a botanical extract pulled from the leaves of aloe vera and one of the most studied plant ingredients in cosmetics.
The inner leaf gel it comes from is mostly water (~99-99.5%) and the remaining fraction is made up of pretty good stuff: polysaccharides, vitamins, phenolics, and enzymes.
Its headline job is hydration.
The star polysaccharide in aloe, acemannan, is a humectant that retains moisture and helps reduce trans-epidermal water loss.
Aloe also has real soothing credentials; it contains anti-inflammatory compounds like bradykinase and C-glucosyl chromone that help calm irritation and redness.
On the repair side, lab work shows that acemannan wakes up your skin's repair cells (fibroblasts), prompting them to multiply and speed up healing.
There's some human data for cosmetic benefit too: a cream containing 10% Aloe Barbadensis leaf extract improved skin hydration and elasticity in a real-use study.
Safety-wise, this ingredient is well-regarded with just one rare downside; there have been some case reports of acute eczema, contact urticaria, and dermatitis in people who applied aloe-derived ingredients topically. Those with a known aloe or Liliaceae sensitivity should patch test.
Typical use levels range widely, from under 1% up to 90%+ depending on the format and the effect you are after.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf ExtractBenzyl 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 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 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 AcidGeraniol 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
