What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningNeopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantIsododecane
EmollientCaprylic/Capric Glycerides
EmollientSqualane
EmollientSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantHydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialCucumis Sativus Extract
Skin ConditioningThymus Vulgaris Extract
PerfumingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSilica
AbrasivePropylene Glycol
HumectantPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeIsohexadecane
EmollientPolyacrylate-13
Polyisobutene
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Chlorphenesin
AntimicrobialCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingBHT
AntioxidantPolysorbate 20
EmulsifyingCitric Acid
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Pentylene Glycol, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Glycerin, Isododecane, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Squalane, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Extract, Thymus Vulgaris Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Silica, Propylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Isohexadecane, Polyacrylate-13, Polyisobutene, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Chlorphenesin, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate, BHT, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantUndecane
EmollientPropanediol
SolventCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientTridecane
PerfumingGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientPEG-100 Stearate
Cetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingSclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
HumectantSqualane
EmollientBisabolol
AntioxidantNiacinamide
SmoothingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
MaskingHyaluronic Acid
HumectantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningPalmitoyl Camellia Sinensis Extract
Skin ConditioningAlgae Extract
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
EmollientSodium Polyacrylate
AbsorbentPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeWater, Glycerin, Undecane, Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Tridecane, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Squalane, Bisabolol, Niacinamide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol, Palmitoyl Camellia Sinensis Extract, Algae Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Phenoxyethanol
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 JuiceGlycerin (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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol 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.
Squalane is the hydrogenated and shelf-stable form of squalene (a lipid that naturally occurs in human sebum).
It is an emollient and skin conditioning agent that is able to integrate seamlessly into the skin's lipid barrier without clogging pores.
This is due to how structurally similar it is to what your skin already produces.
Though it is mostly an emollient that helps soften and hydrate skin, it also has some humectant and occlusive action. Humectants help the skin retain moisture while occlusives seal it in, making squalane a triple-threat moisturizer.
Research shows it has antioxidant capabilities that help protect against stressors like UV exposure, specifically UVA induced oxidative stress. This study also found that it supports collagen biosynthesis in human dermal fibroblasts.
No clinical study has reported significant adverse effects and irritation reactions are very rare from this ingredient (even at 100% concentration).
Overall, it's a fantastic ingredient for hydration and is suitable for all skin types.
This depends on the source. Squalane can be derived from both plants and animals. Most squalane used in skincare comes from plants.
Please note: the source of squalane is only known if disclosed by the brand. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have any questions about their squalane.
Read more about squalene with an "e".
Though squalane is often called an oil, it’s technically not one. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it is only made of carbon and hydrogen. True oils are triglycerides and made of fatty acids and glycerol.
The term “oil-free” isn’t regulated so companies can define it however they want. Some exclude all oils, while others just avoid mineral oil or comedogenic oils.
Squalane has a comedogenic rating of 1 from the original 1972 study that tested raw ingredients under occlusion on rabbit ears. This system is not standardized or peer-reviewed, and using the raw ingredients is very different from how diluted cosmetic formulations are used on human skin.
A comedogenic rating of 1 means it is "unlikely to clog pores" according to the original rating system.
The overall formula of a product matters more than the individual ingredients on whether or not it will cause clogged pores.
Learn more about SqualaneWater. 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