What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Curcuma Longa Root Powder
Skin ConditioningKaolin
Abrasive
Bentonite
Absorbent
Glycerin
Humectant
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Rosa Moschata Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Citrus Limon Peel Extract
EmollientCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Spirulina Maxima Extract
SmoothingHumulus Lupulus Extract
AntimicrobialCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Curcuma Longa Root Powder, Kaolin, Bentonite, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citrus Limon Peel Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Spirulina Maxima Extract, Humulus Lupulus Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Perlite
Absorbent
Bromelain
Skin Conditioning
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil
Masking
Hydrogenated Polydecene
EmollientGlycolic Acid
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Surfactant
Polyacrylate-13
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Polyisobutene
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Polysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Kaolin
Abrasive
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Perlite, Bromelain, Papain, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Polyisobutene, Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate 20, Benzyl Alcohol, Kaolin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum
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 JuiceCarthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil comes from the seeds of the safflower plant. It is a skin conditioning agent that helps soften skin and keep it hydrated.
This seed oil has an unusual fatty acid profile: it is one of the highest linoleic acid plant oils out there (~55-77%). It also has low amounts of oleic acid, and this high-linoleic/low-oleic ratio gets people excited.
Linoleic acid helps maintain skin barrier integrity and is a building block for the ceramides in your stratum corneum. Notably, people with acne tend to have lower linoleic acid in their skin lipids as well (and this gets worse as acne gets more severe).
Overall, it's a lightweight, fast-absorbing oil that has a long safety track record. Lab testing has found it to be non-irritating for skin or eyes.
The Malassezia yeast can metabolize the fatty acids in this oil to grow; therefore this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Carthamus Tinctorius Seed OilCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateKaolin is a clay. It is used for oil control and to help minimize pores. Like other clays, kaolin has the ability to absorb excess sebum or oil. This can help clean out pores and mattify the skin.
Some types of kaolin may have exfoliating properties. When water is added to kaolin, it becomes a paste with small abrasive particles.
Most kaolin is a white color, but may be pink/orange/red depending on where it comes from.
The name 'kaolin' comes from a Chinese village named 'Gaoling'. Kaolin clay comes from rocks rich in kaolinite. Kaolinite, the mineral, has a silicate layered structure. Kaolinite is formed from chemical weathering of aluminum siilicate minerals.
Besides skincare, kaolin is commonly used to make glossy paper, in ceramics, toothpaste, and as medicine to soothe stomach issues.
Learn more about KaolinPolysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20
