What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C16 Olefin Sulfonate
EmulsifyingCoco-Betaine
Cleansing
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hydrolyzed Pea Protein
EmollientGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningSodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
Buffering
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningUrtica Dioica Extract
AstringentRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSalvia Officinalis Extract
Antimicrobial
Water, Sodium C16 Olefin Sulfonate, Coco-Betaine, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Gluconate, Lactic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Extract
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Lauryl Betaine
CleansingPropanediol
Solvent
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Squalane
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Myristyl Betaine
CleansingPolyquaternium-7
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauryl Betaine, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Squalane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Myristyl Betaine, Polyquaternium-7, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tocopherol
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 JuiceCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCaprylhydroxamic Acid is a chelating agent that helps cosmetics stay fresh, stable, and consistent over time.
Chelating agents help prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps prevent unwanted reactions and effects from using the product. It also helps prevent the growth of unwanted microbes in products that contain water.
Caprylhydroxamic Acid is often used with natural antimicrobial products as an alternative to preservatives.
Learn more about Caprylhydroxamic AcidGlycerin (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 OilWater. 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
