What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCitrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenyl Trimethicone
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitol
Humectant
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Hydrangea Serrata Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Mel Extract
MoisturisingHedera Helix Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMorinda Citrifolia Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSolanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Coral Extract
Skin ConditioningOcimum Basilicum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPhytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Glucose
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Trehalose
Humectant
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer
HumectantCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Octyldecanol
Emollient
Water, Citrullus Lanatus Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Sorbitol, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Hydrangea Serrata Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Ceramide NP, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Mel Extract, Hedera Helix Leaf Extract, Morinda Citrifolia Leaf Extract, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Coral Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Leaf Extract, Phytosphingosine, Glucose, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Trehalose, Hydroxyacetophenone, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Octyldecanol
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientIsododecane
EmollientSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Aesculus Hippocastanum Extract
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin Protecting
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Isohexadecane
EmollientTrehalose
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Betaine, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Isododecane, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Aesculus Hippocastanum Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Tocopherol, Isohexadecane, Trehalose, Panthenol, Polysorbate 80, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA
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 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 ExtractAmmonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer is a synthetically created polymer. It's used as a film-forming agent and used to thicken the consistency of products.
Think of it as a supportive ingredient that helps your gel-creams feel silky, "cloud cream-like", and spread evenly without being greasy.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it (along with 22 other acryloyldimethyltaurate polymers) and concluded it's:
Due to its large molecular size, it sits on the surface of skin rather than penetrating it.
Learn more about Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp CopolymerButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinTocopherol 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 TocopherolTrehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
As a humectant, trehalose helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This helps keep your skin hydrated.
Due to its antioxidant properties, trehalose may help with signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, unstable molecules that may damage your skin.
In medicine, trehalose and hyaluronic acid are used to help treat dry eyes.
Some animals, plants, and bacteria create trehalose as a source of energy to survive freeze or lack of water.
Learn more about TrehaloseWater. 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
