This calming moisturizer is formulated around Ascorbic Acid and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract to calm redness and hydrate skin.
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Hexyl Laurate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-10 Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Stabilising
Rosa Centifolia Flower Water
Skin ConditioningAnthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Extract
Skin Conditioning
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Portulaca Oleracea Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Dimethicone
Emollient
Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
Emulsifying
PEG-10 Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Stabilising
Triethoxycaprylylsilane
Aluminum Hydroxide
EmollientSodium Chloride
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCyclotetrasiloxane
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantIron Oxides
Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Hexyl Laurate, Glycerin, PEG-10 Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Tocopherol, Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, PEG-10 Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Phenoxyethanol, CI 77891, Iron Oxides
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Glycereth-26
Humectant
Betaine
Humectant
Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
EmollientIsododecane
EmollientSodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingCetyl Ethylhexanoate
EmollientCitric Acid
Buffering
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Retinyl Palmitate
Skin Conditioning
Aesculus Hippocastanum Extract
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Emollient
Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract
Skin Protecting
Hamamelis Virginiana Extract
Antiseborrhoeic
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Isohexadecane
EmollientTrehalose
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Polysorbate 80
Emulsifying
Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Glycereth-26, Betaine, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Isododecane, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Citric Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Aesculus Hippocastanum Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium Fruit Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana Extract, Tocopherol, Isohexadecane, Trehalose, Panthenol, Polysorbate 80, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Allantoin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Camellia 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 ExtractEthylhexylglycerin 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 PhenoxyethanolTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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
