What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningSodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate
CleansingDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialLavandula Hybrida Oil
EmollientLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPanthenol
Skin ConditioningGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCaprylhydroxamic Acid
Triethyl Citrate
MaskingGamma-Nonalactone
MaskingVanillin
MaskingMaltol
MaskingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Benzoate
MaskingSodium PCA
HumectantCoconut Acid
CleansingGlutamic Acid
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingLinalool
PerfumingWater, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Glycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Panthenol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Triethyl Citrate, Gamma-Nonalactone, Vanillin, Maltol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium PCA, Coconut Acid, Glutamic Acid, Citric Acid, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingSodium Coco-Sulfate
CleansingCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingCoco-Glucoside
CleansingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialGlycerin
HumectantCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Phytate
Phenoxyethanol
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeLavandula Hybrida Oil
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantWater, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Coco-Glucoside, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Sodium Phytate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Tocopherol
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 JuiceCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract comes from the common Marigold plant part of the Asteraceae family. This ingredient is a skin conditioner.
Marigolds contain flavonoids. Flavonoids are a group of substances found naturally in plants. They possess antioxidant and inflammation properties.
This ingredient soothes skin inflammation by inhibiting inhibiting a part of the inflammation process.
Marigolds have been used in traditional medicine throughout Asia and Europe.
Learn more about Calendula Officinalis Flower ExtractCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract comes from the Chamomile flower.
Chamomile is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Several compounds found in chamomile help with soothing, such as bisbolol.
Antioxidant components in chamomile make it an effective ingredient to help slow the signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or molecules that may damage your skin.
Essential oils from chamomile have been found to improve wound healing due to its antimicrobial properties.
Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used Chamomile to treat skin redness and dryness. Chamomile has also been used to help treat stomach issues.
Learn more about Chamomilla Recutita Flower ExtractCitric 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 AcidCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is a synthetic cleansing agent, though it is derived from coconut oil.
It is used to enhance the texture of products by boosting lather and thickening the texture. As a cleanser, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine is mild.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinLavandula Hybrida Oil is an oil.
Panthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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