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Serum
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What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Show highlights for:

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract

Antioxidant
Antioxidant Icon

Malt Juice

Skin Conditioning

Citrus Limon Juice

Skin Conditioning
May cause irritation Icon

Pyrus Malus Juice

Skin Conditioning

Calendula Officinalis Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Hydrolyzed Carrot Extract

Skin Conditioning

Trifolium Pratense Extract

Skin Conditioning

Milk

Skin Conditioning
Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract

Antimicrobial
Antioxidant IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Dioscorea Villosa Root Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract

Antimicrobial

Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum

Emulsion Stabilising

Zea Mays Silk Extract

Skin Conditioning

Glycine Soja Extract

Skin Conditioning

Citric Acid

Buffering
AHA IconHelps brighten skin IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Maltodextrin

Absorbent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Cichorium Intybus Root Oligosaccharides

Skin Conditioning

Glycerin

Humectant
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum

Skin Conditioning

Glyceryl Stearate

Emollient
1 / 0 Not safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Cetearyl Alcohol

Emollient
2 / 1 Fatty Alcohol IconCoconut Derived IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Panthenol

Skin Conditioning
0 / 0 Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Cocos Nucifera Oil

Masking
4 / 0 Oil IconCoconut Derived IconFragrance IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconBad for Acne Prone Skin IconMay worsen Oily Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Comb Extract

Skin Conditioning

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

Masking
0-1 / 0 Oil IconFragrance IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

Emollient
0 / 0 Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Monochoria Hastata Oil

Oil Icon

Bambusa Vulgaris Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps reduce irritation Icon

Benzyl Alcohol

Perfuming
Alcohol IconFragrance IconPreservative IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay cause irritation IconEU Allergen Icon

Dehydroacetic Acid

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture Extract

Skin Conditioning

Xanthan Gum

Emulsifying

Algin

Masking
Bad for Acne Prone Skin Icon

Sodium Benzoate

Masking
Preservative Icon

Potassium Sorbate

Preservative
Preservative Icon

Lactic Acid

Buffering
AHA IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Oily Skin IconGood for Minimizing Pores IconGood for Scar Healing IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Skin Texture IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay worsen Rosacea Icon

Calcium Ascorbate

Antioxidant
Vitamin C IconAntioxidant IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness Icon

Tocopherol

Antioxidant
0-3 / 0-3 Vitamin E IconAntioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps brighten skin IconHelps reduce Skin Redness IconGood for Dark Spots IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Lecithin

Emollient
Helps hydrate Dry Skin IconGood for Barrier Repair Icon

Citrus Limon Fruit Extract

Masking
May cause irritation Icon

Malpighia Emarginata Fruit Extract

Skin Conditioning

Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract

Humectant

Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil

Emollient
Oil IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconNot safe for Fungal Acne Icon

Camphor

Masking
Can worsen Dry Skin IconMay worsen Eczema IconMay cause irritation IconMay worsen Rosacea IconEU Allergen Icon

Daucus Carota Sativa Root Extract

Skin Conditioning
Helps reduce irritation Icon

Cocos Nucifera Water

Masking
Coconut Derived IconHelps hydrate Dry Skin IconHelps reduce irritation Icon

Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract

Astringent
Helps hydrate Dry Skin Icon

Tapioca Starch

Thioctic Acid

Antioxidant
Antioxidant IconHelps with Anti-Aging IconHelps brighten skin IconGood for Scar Healing Icon

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil

Masking
Oil Icon

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning

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 Juice
Perfuming, Preservative, Solvent

Benzyl 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 Alcohol
Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning

This ingredient is also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.

The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.

A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.

Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.

It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.

Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.

Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.

Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".

Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).

The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.

Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).

Learn more about Cocos Nucifera Oil
Preservative

Dehydroacetic 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.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting

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 Glycerin
Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.

On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.

Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.

Learn more about Xanthan Gum

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