What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientPropanediol
SolventWater
Skin ConditioningSelaginella Lepidophylla Extract
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantSodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingVitis Vinifera Juice Extract
AntioxidantPunica Granatum Seed Oil
EmollientArgania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
MaskingPelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingPogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
MaskingEugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil
MaskingVetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
MaskingCinnamomum Cassia Bark
Skin ConditioningCananga Odorata Flower Oil
MaskingGlycine Soja Oil
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantLactobacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Citrate
BufferingSodium Anisate
AntimicrobialBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingEugenol
PerfumingCitronellol
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingCinnamal
PerfumingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Propanediol, Water, Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Vitis Vinifera Juice Extract, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Tocopherol, Lactobacillus Ferment, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Levulinate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Anisate, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Geraniol, Eugenol, Citronellol, Linalool, Cinnamal
Water
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientMethylheptylglycerin
HumectantPolyhydroxystearic Acid
EmulsifyingCetearyl Olivate
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
EmollientPropanediol
SolventStearic Acid
CleansingSorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingBakuchiol
AntimicrobialTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
AntioxidantAzelaic Acid
BufferingHibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCetyl Palmitate
EmollientArginine
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantSorbitan Palmitate
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingSorbitan Oleate
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenethyl Alcohol
MaskingSodium Phytate
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGeraniol
PerfumingWater, Cetearyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Methylheptylglycerin, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Cetearyl Olivate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Propanediol, Stearic Acid, Sorbitan Olivate, Bakuchiol, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Azelaic Acid, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Cetyl Palmitate, Arginine, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Palmitate, Caprylyl Glycol, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Sorbitan Oleate, Xanthan Gum, Phenethyl Alcohol, Sodium Phytate, Ethylhexylglycerin, 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 OilCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholGeraniol 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 GeraniolGlycerin (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 Angustifolia Oil is more commonly known as lavender essential oil. It is considered a fragrancing ingredient.
Lavender imparts a famous scent. While the smell is lovely, this ingredient and may sensitize skin in topical products. This is because about 85% of the oil is made up of linalool and linalyl acetate.
When exposed to air, these two compounds become strong allergens. This ingredient exhibits cytotoxicity at low concentrations; amounts of 0.25% have been shown to damage skin cells.
A study from Japan found this ingredient caused lavender sensitivity after widespread exposure.
Lavender essential oil has some antimicrobial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the cons of this ingredient may outweight the pros.
More research is needed to confirm lavender essential oil's effects when used in aromatherapy.
Lavandula Angustifolia is known as the English Lavender and famous for creating purple fields in Provence, France.
Learn more about Lavandula Angustifolia OilPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.Â
It’s often used to:
Propanediol is not likely to cause sensitivity and considered safe to use. It is derived from corn or petroleum with a clear color and no scent.
Learn more about PropanediolJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilTocopherol 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