What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
Masking
Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate
Emollient
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningAdansonia Digitata Pulp Extract
EmollientBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolyglyceryl-6 Behenate
Emulsion Stabilising
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Phytate
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Citronellol
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate, Bakuchiol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Adansonia Digitata Pulp Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Benzoic Acid, Tocopherol, Sodium Phytate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Parfum, Citronellol, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Glucoside
Emulsifying
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Citrate
BufferingHippophae Rhamnoides Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSchisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Garcinia Mangostana Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCedrus Atlantica Wood Oil
Perfuming
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Boswellia Carterii Oil
Masking
Citronellol
Perfuming
Santalum Album Oil
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Glucoside, Sorbitan Olivate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Citrate, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Tocopherol, Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Schisandra Chinensis Fruit Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Garcinia Mangostana Fruit Extract, Cedrus Atlantica Wood Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Boswellia Carterii Oil, Citronellol, Santalum Album Oil, Limonene, Geraniol
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 JuiceYou may know this ingredient as argan oil. It has emollient and skin conditioning properties that help soften skin and reinforce the lipid barrier.
The fatty acid profile of argan oil is roughly 45-55% oleic acid, 28-36% linoleic acid, 10-15% palmitic acid, and 5-7% stearic acid. It also contains vitamin E, sterols, squalene, and polyphenols like ferulic acid.
Two clinical studies in postmenopausal women found that applying argan oil for 60 days significantly improved skin elasticity and moisturization (reduced transepidermal water loss and increased epidermal water content).
Since it is high in oleic and linoleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Both of these fall in the C11-C24 range that Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Argania Spinosa Kernel OilBenzoic Acid is used to preserve and adjust the pH of products.
The antimicrobial property of Benzoic Acid helps elongate a product's shelf life. Its main role is to reduce fungi growth and is not found to be effective at fighting bacteria. Therefore Benzoic Acid is always added along with other preservatives.
In its pure form, Benzoic Acid looks like a white crystalline solid. It has slight solubility in water.
The name of Benzoic Acid comes from gum benzoin, which used to be the sole source of deriving this ingredient. Benzoic Acid is the most simple aromatic carboxylic acid.
Benzoic Acid is naturally occuring in strawberries, mustard, cinnamon, and cloves. It has a slight scent but is not considered to be a fragrance.
Learn more about Benzoic AcidBenzyl 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.
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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
