What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Glycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Coenochloris Signiensis Extract
Skin ConditioningLecithin
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingDehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Coconut Alcohol
Emollient
Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract
Perfuming
Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningBenzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Maltodextrin, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hyaluronate, Coenochloris Signiensis Extract, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Coco-Glucoside, Coconut Alcohol, Lonicera Caprifolium Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica Flower Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCarrageenan
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
Masking
Cananga Odorata Flower Oil
Masking
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Syzygium Luehmannii Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract
HumectantDavidsonia Jerseyana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Rosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Carrageenan, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Dehydroacetic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Citric Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Syzygium Luehmannii Fruit Extract, Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract, Davidsonia Jerseyana Fruit Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate
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 JuiceBenzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidDehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateSodium Stearoyl Glutamate is an amino-acid based emulsifier. It is made by combining stearic acid with L-glutamic acid and neutralizing it to a sodium salt.
As an emulsifier, it works mainly as an oil-in-water one and helps keep the oil and water in your formulas blended. It also contributes to a smooth, non-greasy skin feel.
This ingredient is biodegradable and commonly available in natural/COSMOS-certified grades.
Learn more about Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
