What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPotassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Parfum
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Limonene
Perfuming
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Propanediol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Lauryl Glucoside, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Gluconate, Sodium Hydroxide, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum, Citric Acid, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Hamamelis Virginiana Water
Astringent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingXylitol
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingCarica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Grandis Seed Extract
Astringent
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Mentha Piperita Oil
Masking
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Alpha-Terpinene
Perfuming
Menthol
Masking
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Sodium Chloride, Xylitol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Citrus Grandis Seed Extract, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Mentha Piperita Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Alcohol, Maltodextrin, Alpha-Terpinene, Menthol
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 JuiceCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinSalix Alba Bark Extract comes from the bark of the white willow tree. The official CosIng listing states this ingredient to have astringent, skin conditioning, soothing, and tonic properties.
Its star compound is salicin, a natural glucoside that is chemically related to salicylic acid. That's why you'll often see it marketed as a "natural BHA alternative" but that's a bit of a stretch.
Your skin can't convert salicin to salicylic acid because it needs specific enzymes that aren't present on the skin's surface. It won't behave like true salicylic acid, especially at the concentrations used in cosmetics.
However, this ingredient has its own perks. It contains flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins that give it proven antioxidant and soothing properties.
An 8-week clinical study found a cream with 2% of this extract improved skin microcirculation, elasticity, and dark circles. This is most likely due to its role in increasing hyaluronic acid synthesis in fibroblasts and improved vascular integrity.
Another study found a topical serum with 0.5% salicin showed improvements in visible signs of aging, hyperpigmentation, and texture.
Just be careful if you have a known aspirin/salicylate allergy and be sure to consult with a medical professional about using this ingredient if you do.
Fun fact: Willow Bark extract has been used for thousands of years and ancient civilizations used white willow to help treat pain and fevers.
Learn more about Salix Alba Bark ExtractSodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
