What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingTromethamine
BufferingWater
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Xylitol
Humectant
Royal Jelly Extract
Skin Conditioning
Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningHoney Extract
Humectant
Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Laminaria Japonica Extract
Skin Protecting
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Benzoate
Masking
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate
Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate
Humectant
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer
Humectant
Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Pentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Hyaluronate
Skin ConditioningLimonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Water, Propanediol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Disodium EDTA, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Xylitol, Royal Jelly Extract, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Honey Extract, Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Dimethylsilanol Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hyaluronic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Potassium Hyaluronate, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Tromethamine
BufferingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Disodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMenthoxypropanediol
Masking
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Glycerin
Humectant
Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract
MaskingOpuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningOrchid Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Butylene Glycol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Tromethamine, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Menthoxypropanediol, Madecassoside, Glycerin, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Orchid Extract
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 Extract is a botanical extract pulled from the leaves of aloe vera and one of the most studied plant ingredients in cosmetics.
The inner leaf gel it comes from is mostly water (~99-99.5%) and the remaining fraction is made up of pretty good stuff: polysaccharides, vitamins, phenolics, and enzymes.
Its headline job is hydration.
The star polysaccharide in aloe, acemannan, is a humectant that retains moisture and helps reduce trans-epidermal water loss.
Aloe also has real soothing credentials; it contains anti-inflammatory compounds like bradykinase and C-glucosyl chromone that help calm irritation and redness.
On the repair side, lab work shows that acemannan wakes up your skin's repair cells (fibroblasts), prompting them to multiply and speed up healing.
There's some human data for cosmetic benefit too: a cream containing 10% Aloe Barbadensis leaf extract improved skin hydration and elasticity in a real-use study.
Safety-wise, this ingredient is well-regarded with just one rare downside; there have been some case reports of acute eczema, contact urticaria, and dermatitis in people who applied aloe-derived ingredients topically. Those with a known aloe or Liliaceae sensitivity should patch test.
Typical use levels range widely, from under 1% up to 90%+ depending on the format and the effect you are after.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf ExtractButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolTromethamine (aka THAM) is a synthetic amino acid that shows up in skincare as a helper ingredient.
It functions as a pH adjuster to help neutralize acidic ingredients and set a formula's pH to the right spot.
This matters a lot because a lot of actives (like vitamin C) needs a specific pH to work well and feel comfortable on skin.
Concentration use ranges from 0.1-1.0% depending on the formula.
Learn more about TromethamineWater. 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
