What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Euphorbia Cerifera Wax
Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Saccharomyces Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Stearate
CleansingStearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Charcoal Powder
Abrasive
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Citrus Grandis Seed Extract
Astringent
Parfum
Masking
Water, Propylene Glycol, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Saccharomyces Ferment, Sodium Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Sorbic Acid, Charcoal Powder, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Niacinamide, Alpha-Arbutin, Citrus Grandis Seed Extract, Parfum
Glycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningMaranta Arundinacea Root Powder
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Sodium Stearate
CleansingHydrated Silica
Abrasive
Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Charcoal
Abrasive
Magnesium Hydroxide
AbsorbentBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed
Perfuming
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Glycerin, Water, Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder, Propanediol, Sodium Stearate, Hydrated Silica, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Maltodextrin, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Charcoal, Magnesium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citrus Sinensis Peel Oil Expressed, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil
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 JuiceBenzyl Alcohol is an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Maranta Arundinacea Root Powder yet.
Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is a well-known ingredient for treating skin that struggles with acne and clogged pores. It exfoliates both the skin's surface and deep within the pores to help clear out buildup, control oil, and reduce inflammation.
Unlike AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), salicylic acid is oil-soluble. This allows it to penetrate into pores which makes it especially effective for treating blackheads and preventing future breakouts.
Salicylic acid is also known for its soothing properties. It has a similar structure to aspirin and can calm inflamed or irritated skin, making it a good option for acne-prone skin that is also sensitive.
Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.
It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing this ingredient into your routine.
While salicylic acid does not increase sun sensitivity, itβs still important to wear sunscreen daily to protect your skin.
If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.
Learn more about Salicylic AcidSodium stearate is the sodium salt of stearic acid.
The structure of sodium stearate makes it both a cleanser and emulsifier. As a cleanser, it helps dissolve dirt, oil, and other pollutants. As an emulsifier, it helps prevent ingredients from separating. This adds stability to the formula.
Sorbic Acid is a preservative that stops your product from spoiling by stopping microbes from growing.
As a preservative, it's kind of a specialist: it has a broad spectrum of activity against yeast and molds but is weaker against bacteria. That's why it's often paired with another preservative to cover that gap.
This ingredient is also pretty picky about pH; it performs best at pH 6.5 or below.
At the right pH level, sorbic acid is "active" and can slip through the outer wall of a microbe. Once inside, it turns the cell's interior more acidic to shut down the microbe from the inside.
The EU caps this ingredient at 0.6% while the CIR has concluded it's safe at concentrations up to 1%. It's most often used around 0.05-0.2% in cosmetics.
Though this ingredient is considered low-sensitizing and well-tolerated, a very small number of people may have a contact allergy to it. Be sure to patch test if you have a history of allergies towards preservatives.
Learn more about Sorbic AcidWater. 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
