What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Swertia Japonica Extract
Skin ConditioningCyperus Esculentus Tuber Extract
Skin ProtectingSymphytum Officinale Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCoconut Acid
Cleansing
Sodium Isethionate
CleansingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Levulinate, Potassium Sorbate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Gluconate, Tocopherol, Swertia Japonica Extract, Cyperus Esculentus Tuber Extract, Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Coconut Acid, Sodium Isethionate
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingGlycol Stearate
Emollient
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Algae Extract
EmollientEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentTocopherol
Antioxidant
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Acacia Senegal Gum Extract
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice
Emollient
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Polyquaternium-7
Sodium Phytate
Stearamide Amp
Parfum
Masking
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Glycol Stearate, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Algae Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Tocopherol, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Coconut Acid, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Acacia Senegal Gum Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Phytate, Stearamide Amp, Parfum
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 JuiceThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCoconut acid is a mixture of fatty acids obtains by hydrolyzing coconut oil and then distilling the fatty acid portion. It works as a cleansing surfactant, emollient, and emulsifier depending on the formulation.
This ingredient is not a single compound but reflects the fatty acid profile of coconut oil itself, which is about 90% saturated. The dominant fatty acid is lauric acid (44-54%) and then myristic acid (13-19%). There are small amount of caprylic, capric, palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
Human testing from CIR has shown no indication this ingredient to be a primary irritant, sensitizer, or phototoxic compound. It's also COSMOS-approved for natural and organic products.
Due to the high fatty acid content, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Coconut AcidGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is derived from guar gum. It is a skin conditioning agent that creates a thin, breathable film to reduce water loss during cleansing.
This leaves the skin feeling soft rather than stripped and also contributes to a creamier lather.
Due to the large molecule size, this ingredient is unlikely to penetrate skin.
Learn more about Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium ChlorideSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateTocopherol 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
