What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Flower
MaskingGlycerin
Humectant
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Potassium Cetyl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSorbitan Sesquioleate
Emulsifying
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Silica
Abrasive
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Citrus Limon Leaf Cell Extract
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera
MaskingTetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Argania Spinosa Shell Powder
Abrasive
Rosa Gallica Flower Powder
Skin ConditioningTitanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Iron Oxides
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Carthamus Tinctorius Flower, Glycerin, Coconut Alkanes, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Gluconolactone, Cetearyl Olivate, Silica, Sorbitan Olivate, Coco-Caprylate, Sodium Benzoate, Decyl Glucoside, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Bicarbonate, Citrus Limon Leaf Cell Extract, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Tocopherol, Argania Spinosa Shell Powder, Rosa Gallica Flower Powder, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Caprylyl Methicone
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Isononanoate
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate
Emulsifying
Boron Nitride
Absorbent
Dimethicone
Emollient
Disteardimonium Hectorite
StabilisingNiacinamide
Smoothing
Oryza Sativa Hull Powder
Abrasive
Gluconolactone
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingIsopentyldiol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Squalane
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Pistacia Lentiscus Gum
MaskingHydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Calcium Gluconate
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningJasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract
Masking
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingBisabolol
Antioxidant
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77499
Cosmetic ColorantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Coconut Alkanes, Caprylyl Methicone, Polyglyceryl-6 Polyricinoleate, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, Boron Nitride, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Niacinamide, Oryza Sativa Hull Powder, Gluconolactone, Sodium Chloride, Isopentyldiol, Glycerin, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Allantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Squalane, Tocopherol, Pentylene Glycol, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Pistacia Lentiscus Gum, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Calcium Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Jasminum Officinale Flower/Leaf Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Bisabolol, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499
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 JuiceCoconut Alkanes is created from the fatty-acids of coconut oil. It is volatile, meaning it evaporates from the skin.
This ingredient is an emollient and solvent. As an emollient, it helps keep skin soft and hydrated. Solvents help distribute and mix other ingredients. This ensures a more even consistency.
Coconut Alkanes may not be fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Coconut AlkanesGluconolactone is a PHA. PHAs are a great gentle alternative to traditional AHAs.
When applied, Gluconolactone has the same affect on skin as AHAs such as lactic acid. It helps dissolve the dead skin cells in the top layer of your skin. This improves texture and brightens the skin.
PHAs are more gentle than AHAs due to their larger structure. They do not penetrate as deeply as AHAs and take a longer time to dissolve dead cells. Studies show PHAs do not cause as much irritation.
Gluconolactone has some interesting properties:
In a 2004 study, Gluconolactone was found to prevent UV damage in mouse skin cells and has not been found to increase sun sensitivity. However, we still recommend wearing SPF daily.
This ingredient is is an created by reacting gluconic acid with an alcohol.
Learn more about GluconolactoneGlycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateTocopherol 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 Tocopherol
