What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientIsoamyl Laurate
EmollientWater
Skin ConditioningTriheptanoin
Skin ConditioningGlyceryl Stearate Citrate
EmollientChlamydomonas Reinhardtii Extract
HumectantCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientPolyglyceryl-3 Stearate
EmulsifyingLactobacillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Lecithin
EmulsifyingXylityl Sesquicaprylate
AntimicrobialLysolecithin
EmulsifyingSclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingDilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer
Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex
AntioxidantLactobacillus
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPullulan
Potassium Sorbate
PreservativeCitric Acid
BufferingAnhydroxylitol
HumectantLecithin
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantMorinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
EmollientPelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
MaskingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialRhododendron Ferrugineum Extract
MaskingSilica
AbrasiveCastor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer
Ocimum Basilicum Oil
MaskingRosa Centifolia Flower Oil
MaskingAlcohol
AntimicrobialCitronellol
PerfumingGeraniol
PerfumingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Isoamyl Laurate, Water, Triheptanoin, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Extract, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Lactobacillus Ferment, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Xylityl Sesquicaprylate, Lysolecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Dilinoleic Acid/Butanediol Copolymer, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, Lactobacillus, Xanthan Gum, Pullulan, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Anhydroxylitol, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rhododendron Ferrugineum Extract, Silica, Castor Oil/Ipdi Copolymer, Ocimum Basilicum Oil, Rosa Centifolia Flower Oil, Alcohol, Citronellol, Geraniol
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantHydrogenated Vegetable Oil
EmollientMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
EmollientCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingSilybum Marianum Ethyl Ester
Skin ConditioningTerminalia Chebula Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingRosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil
EmollientRubus Idaeus Seed Oil
EmollientHippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil
Skin ProtectingSclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
HumectantLactobacillus/Acerola Cherry Ferment
Skin ProtectingHydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract
Skin ProtectingPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientLecithin
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
MaskingEclipta Prostrata Extract
Skin ConditioningMelia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Seed Oil
EmollientPopulus Tremuloides Bark Extract
AntiseborrhoeicJuniperus Virginiana Oil
MaskingCananga Odorata Flower Oil
MaskingCedrus Atlantica Wood Oil
PerfumingAmyris Balsamifera Bark Oil
MaskingJuniperus Mexicana Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingTocopherol
AntioxidantHydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables
EmollientLeuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
AntimicrobialXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Phytate
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Silybum Marianum Ethyl Ester, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Rubus Idaeus Seed Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Seed Oil, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Lactobacillus/Acerola Cherry Ferment, Hydrolyzed Viola Tricolor Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Lecithin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Cedrus Atlantica Wood Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Water, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Limonene, Linalool
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 JuiceCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric 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 GlycerinLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Learn more about LecithinTocopherol 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 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