What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Collagen
Emollient
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Propanediol
Solvent
Chitin
Abrasive
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantTriethanolamine
BufferingDisodium EDTA
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Menthol
Masking
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Niacinamide, Centella Asiatica Extract, Alpha-Arbutin, Propanediol, Chitin, Sodium PCA, Carbomer, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Menthol
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingSqualane
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium PCA
Humectant
Urea
Buffering
Menthyl Lactate
Masking
Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTrehalose
Humectant
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Sorbitan Isostearate
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
CI 75810
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Glycerin, Betaine, Propanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Squalane, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium PCA, Urea, Menthyl Lactate, Caulerpa Lentillifera Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trehalose, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polyquaternium-51, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Tocopherol, CI 75810
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 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 JuiceDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinPropanediol is an all-star ingredient. It softens, hydrates, and smooths the skin.
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 PropanediolSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCATocopherol 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
