What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingGlycerin
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingCitrus Tangerina Peel Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Collagen Amino Acids
Moisturising
Citrus Grandis Seed Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Lonicera Japonica Callus Extract
Skin ProtectingSalix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingWater, Decyl Glucoside, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract, Carbomer, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Collagen Amino Acids, Citrus Grandis Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Lonicera Japonica Callus Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Stearyl Stearate
Emollient
Euphorbia Cerifera Wax
Sorbitan Stearate
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Carbomer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Caffeine
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Stearyl Stearate, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Sorbitan Stearate, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Carbomer, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Caffeine, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Mentha Piperita Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allantoin, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate
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 JuiceCarbomer is a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylic acid. It is used to form gels and thicken formulas.
Due to its large molecular size, carbomer has minimal skin penetration and is considered an inert ingredient.
A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.
Learn more about CarbomerDecyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.
Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.
Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.
Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).
Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.
One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.
This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Decyl GlucosideEthylhexylglycerin 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 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.
Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideWater. 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
