What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingStearic Acid
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingRicinus Communis Seed Oil
MaskingShea Butter Ethyl Esters
EmollientCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
EmollientAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningRosa Canina Seed Extract
EmollientChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantPropanediol
SolventSodium Hydroxide
BufferingTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Caprylyl Glycol
EmollientHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isopropyl Palmitate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polysorbate 60, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Rosa Canina Seed Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Propanediol, Sodium Hydroxide, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningJuglans Regia Shell Powder
AbrasiveCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientPhytelephas Aequatorialis Seed Powder
Decyl Glucoside
CleansingStearic Acid
CleansingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientGlyceryl Linoleate
EmollientCamellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
AstringentChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantGlycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
BleachingThymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract
MaskingGlyceryl Linolenate
EmollientHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPalmaria Palmata Extract
Skin ProtectingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
HumectantEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeParfum
MaskingWater, Juglans Regia Shell Powder, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phytelephas Aequatorialis Seed Powder, Decyl Glucoside, Stearic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Panthenol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glyceryl Linoleate, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Glycerin, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Flower/Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Linolenate, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Extract, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 60, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, 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 JuiceCetearyl 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 AlcoholChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract comes from the Chamomile flower.
Chamomile is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Several compounds found in chamomile help with soothing, such as bisbolol.
Antioxidant components in chamomile make it an effective ingredient to help slow the signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or molecules that may damage your skin.
Essential oils from chamomile have been found to improve wound healing due to its antimicrobial properties.
Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used Chamomile to treat skin redness and dryness. Chamomile has also been used to help treat stomach issues.
Learn more about Chamomilla Recutita Flower ExtractEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil is a plant oil derived from the seeds of a sunflower.
It is rich in fatty acids, primarily linoleic acid and oleic acid. This gives it emollient and skin conditioning properties.
The reason this ingredient is so effective is because it forms a thin film on the skin that reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) while supplying linoleic acid to the stratum corneum to improve barrier strength.
The high linoleic acid content is particularly noteworthy for acne-prone skin.
Research suggests that acne-prone skin tends to be deficient in linoleic acid in sebum. Topical application may help replenish this to support a healthier follicular environment and less comedone-promoting sebum.
One randomized study found sunflower seed oil preserved skin barrier integrity in adult volunteers with and without atopic dermatitis (outperforming olive oil).
This ingredient is well-studied, gentle, and an effective emollient suitable for most skin types.
On fungal acne: This ingredient may not be Fungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) safe. This is because it contains fatty acids with carbon chain lengths in the C11-C24 range.
Learn more about Helianthus Annuus Seed OilParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Polysorbate 60 is used to help stabilize products. It is a surfactant and emulsifier. These properties help keep ingredients together in a product. Surfactants help reduce surface tension between ingredients with different states, such as liquids and solids. Emulsifiers help prevent oils and waters from separating.
Polysorbate 60 is sorbitol-based and created from the ethoxylation of sorbitan. Ethoxylation is a chemical reaction used to add ethylene oxide. Sorbitan is a the dehydrated version of sorbitol, a sugar found in fruits.
In this case, the 60 comes from reacting 60 units of ethylene oxide with sorbitan.
Polysorbates are commonly used in medicine and foods.
Learn more about Polysorbate 60Stearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic 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 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