What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate
Emulsifying
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Dicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientIsoamyl Laurate
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Rhodophyceae Extract
Cellulose
Absorbent
Octyldodecanol
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingIrvingia Gabonensis Kernel Butter
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingHydrogenated Coco-Glycerides
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Sodium Phytate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Isoamyl Laurate, Water, Hydrolyzed Rhodophyceae Extract, Cellulose, Octyldodecanol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Xanthan Gum, Irvingia Gabonensis Kernel Butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Hydrogenated Coco-Glycerides, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Sodium Phytate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningDimethicone
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
EmollientEthylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Olivate
Dimethiconol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf
Masking
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSaccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingAcer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningTocopherol
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Tromethamine
BufferingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Dehydroacetate
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium
Disodium EDTA
Water, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Olivate, Dimethiconol, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum Extract, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tromethamine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium, Disodium EDTA
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinJojoba oil is one of the most well-studied plant-derived ingredients in cosmetics. It is an emollient with a special structure.
Because it is made up of 97-98% wax esters, it closely mirrors the linear monoesters found in human sebum. This makes it skin compatible, non-greasy, and lightweight.
Unlike other plant oils, jojoba wax doesn't easily penetrate skin. It mostly works in the uppermost layers as an emollient. This just means it forms a light barrier on the skin to help retain moisture.
Formulations with jojoba esters up to 90% reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increased barrier recovery by 81% (outperforming bisabolol at 47%).
Besides barrier support, the science also suggests jojoba to have anti-inflammatory effects and potential applications for skin infections, aging, and wound healing.
Fun fact: Indigenous cultures have used jojoba as a moisturizer and to help treat burns for centuries.
Due to its fatty acid content, Jojoba oil may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Simmondsia Chinensis Seed OilStearic 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 AcidTocopherol 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
