What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cellulose
Absorbent
Propanediol
Solvent
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMangifera Indica Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingLactic Acid
Buffering
Bromelain
Skin Conditioning
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
Antimicrobial
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
1,6-Hexamethylene Diisocyanate
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarbomer
Emulsion StabilisingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Chlorphenesin
Antimicrobial
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Glycerin, Cellulose, Propanediol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Mangifera Indica Fruit Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid, Bromelain, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, 1,6-Hexamethylene Diisocyanate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool
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
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 CarbomerCitrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is the oil from the bergamot orange and is primarily used as a fragrance. It has a "fresh" and "bright orange" scent.
The main aroma compounds found in this ingredient are limonene (~27-52%), linalool (~2-22%), and linalyl acetate (~27-40%). These are known EU fragrance allergens.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
When used topically, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil is a photosensitizer due to the furanocoumarin content. Furanocoumarins absorb UV-A and cause phytophotodermatitis; this can look like redness, blistering, and lasting brown pigmentation on sun-exposed skin.
Due to this, this ingredient is capped at 0.4% in leave-on products applied to sun exposed skin.
Many modern formulas used a "furanocoumarin-free" version that sidesteps the phototoxicity issue, but still contains the fragrance allergens.
Learn more about Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit OilGlycerin (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
