What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coconut Alkanes
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Sorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Olivate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Bakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Lactobacillus
Skin ConditioningCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Eragrostis Tef Seed Extract
Sclerotium Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Medicago Sativa Extract
TonicEclipta Prostrata Extract
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningPelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil
Masking
Sodium Phytate
Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil
Masking
Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningCorallina Officinalis Extract
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCoccinia Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Flower Extract
EmollientSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Curcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract
TonicOcimum Sanctum Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Linalool
Perfuming
Citronellol
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Farnesol
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coconut Alkanes, Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Bakuchiol, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Lactobacillus, Ceramide NP, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Hydrolyzed Eragrostis Tef Seed Extract, Sclerotium Gum, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Medicago Sativa Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Citric Acid, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Sodium Phytate, Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Oil, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Solanum Melongena Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Ocimum Basilicum Flower/Leaf Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Alcohol, Linalool, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Farnesol
Water
Skin ConditioningSqualane
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil
Emollient
Punica Granatum Seed Oil
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningBakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Jojoba Esters
Emollient
Olibanum
MaskingCamellia Sinensis Extract
Antioxidant
Sodium Cocoyl/Stearoyl (Alanine/Arginine/Asparagine/Aspartic Acid/Glutamic Acid/Glutamine/Glycine/Histidine/Isoleucine/Leucine/Lysine/Phenylalanine/Proline/Serine/Threonine/Tyrosine/Valine)
Emollient
Phenylalanine
Masking
Argania Spinosa Sprout Cell Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil
Masking
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Diglucosyl Gallic Acid
Thioctic Acid
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Squalane, Propanediol, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Punica Granatum Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Distearate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Raphanus Sativus Seed Extract, Bakuchiol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Jojoba Esters, Olibanum, Camellia Sinensis Extract, Sodium Cocoyl/Stearoyl (Alanine/Arginine/Asparagine/Aspartic Acid/Glutamic Acid/Glutamine/Glycine/Histidine/Isoleucine/Leucine/Lysine/Phenylalanine/Proline/Serine/Threonine/Tyrosine/Valine), Phenylalanine, Argania Spinosa Sprout Cell Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Tanacetum Annuum Flower Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Diglucosyl Gallic Acid, Thioctic Acid, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Bakuchiol is a plant-derived antioxidant from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant. It has antimicrobial, emollient, skin conditioning, and antioxidant properties.
You'll likely see it called a "retinol replacement" but the two are technically not related. This is because bakuchiol is able to flip many of the same switches in your skin cells to tell them to:
1) produce more collagen (type I, III, and IV)
2) activate the same genes retinoids do
Unlike retinoids, this ingredient will not increase photosensitivity and is safe to use during pregnancy (but please still check in with your doctor!).
The flagship clinical trial from Dhaliwal et al. 2019 found 0.5% bakuchiol (twice daily) and 0.5% retinol (once daily) reduced wrinkles and hyperpigmentation equally, but bakuchiol had significantly less irritation.
Systematic reviews also back this up:
Bakuchiol is comparable to retinol for photoaging but with better tolerability. It also has mild antibacterial properties against Cutibacterium acnes and antifungal activity in vitro against Candida and dermatophytes.
The reason bakuchiol works well is due to its structure; it is a meroterpene phenol, or a hybrid molecule. The phenol half acts as an antioxidant while the terpene half is fat-loving. This helps the molecule slip through the skin barrier.
This ingredient is usually used between 0.5-2%. Only one case of contact dermatitis has ever been reported for this ingredient.
Learn more about BakuchiolCurcuma Longa Root Extract is from the spice, turmeric. Besides being a healthy and delicious spice, turmeric also has plenty of skincare benefits. It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-microbial properties.
Turmeric contains curcumin, an antioxidant. Antioxidants help neutralize unstable free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules may damage your skin's cells and DNA. Curcumin may help with anti-aging.
Curcumin also has anti-inflammatory properties and can help soothe skin and reduce irritation. On top of that, curcumin has been shown to help prevent hyperpigmentation from sun damage.
The anti-microbial property of turmeric can make it effective in treating acne. This property has also been shown to help regulate the production of sebum.
Learn more about Curcuma Longa Root ExtractGlycerin (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 GlycerinThis ingredient is made when the Lactobacillus bacteria (the same kind that makes yogurt and kimchi) are allowed to ferment a nutrient medium.
As it ferments, it collects lactic acid, peptides, enzymes, and other bioactive metabolites to provide:
A 2023 review noted that probiotic fermentation ingredients like this one can enhance antioxidant capacity, reduce UV-induced oxidative damage, and support barrier function.
One clinical study from the same year showed a Lactobacillus ferment lysate significantly reduced transepidermal water loss and improved skin hydration.
Another review highlighted that topical Lactobacillus-based preparations can improve ceramide levels in the stratum corneum, support barrier integrity, and even help reduce S. aureus colonization in atopic dermatitis.
Why is this so cool?
Basically, your skin's outer layer works as a brick wall; skin cells are bricks and ceramides are the mortar holding it together. Moisture escapes, irritants get in, and your skin gets dry and reactive when ceramide levels drop. On top of that, "bad" skin bacteria S. aureus loves to move in when your barrier is weak to make inflammation and irritation worse.
So Lactobacillus ferment is basically patching the wall and evicting the troublemaker when it boosts ceramide production and help keep S. aureus in check.
On top of all this, it also acts as a mild antimicrobial preservative booster.
Just so you know, most studies focus on specific strains or the lysate form rather than this generic "Lactobacillus Ferment", so results can vary.
Though it's a promising ingredient, it doesn't have decades of robust clinical data behind it just yet.
Lactobacillus Ferment is generally considered safe for fungal-acne prone skin. The key thing to understand is that it comes from bacteria, not yeast or fungus.
Yeast-derived ferments (like galactomyces) have been shown to activate a protein that's linked to Malassezia-related skin issues whereas lactobacillus doesn't have that problem.
Its byproducts also don't contain the types of fatty acids (C11-24 chain lengths) that Malassezia feeds on.
Learn more about Lactobacillus FermentWater. 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
