What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
No concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol
HumectantButylene Glycol
HumectantLactic Acid
BufferingGlycerin
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingNiacinamide
SmoothingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeGlycolic Acid
BufferingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningHamamelis Virginiana Leaf Water
AstringentSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantParfum
MaskingMalus Domestica Fruit Extract
AntioxidantSorbitol
HumectantTrehalose
HumectantUrea
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningSerine
MaskingAlgin
MaskingDisodium Phosphate
BufferingGlyceryl Polyacrylate
Pullulan
Potassium Phosphate
BufferingWater, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Niacinamide, Phenoxyethanol, Glycolic Acid, Chlorphenesin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hamamelis Virginiana Leaf Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Parfum, Malus Domestica Fruit Extract, Sorbitol, Trehalose, Urea, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Serine, Algin, Disodium Phosphate, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Pullulan, Potassium Phosphate
Water
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningHoney Extract
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPanthenol
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
HumectantUrea
BufferingArginine
MaskingEscin
TonicAspartic Acid
MaskingPCA
HumectantRuscus Aculeatus Root Extract
AstringentAmmonium Glycyrrhizate
MaskingCentella Asiatica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine
BufferingAlanine
MaskingHydrolyzed Yeast Protein
Skin ConditioningSerine
MaskingCalendula Officinalis Flower Extract
MaskingValine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin ConditioningThreonine
Histidine
HumectantPhenylalanine
MaskingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativePotassium Sorbate
PreservativeGlycerin
HumectantDisodium EDTA
Sodium Lactate
BufferingWater, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Honey Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allantoin, Panthenol, Sodium PCA, Urea, Arginine, Escin, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Ruscus Aculeatus Root Extract, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Glycine, Alanine, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Serine, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Glycerin, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Lactate
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 JuiceButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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.
Potassium Sorbate is a preservative used to prevent yeast and mold in products. It is commonly found in both cosmetic and food products.
This ingredient comes from potassium salt derived from sorbic acid. Sorbic acid is a natural antibiotic and effective against fungus.
Both potassium sorbate and sorbic acid can be found in baked goods, cheeses, dried meats, dried fruit, ice cream, pickles, wine, yogurt, and more.
You'll often find this ingredient used with other preservatives.
Learn more about Potassium SorbateSerine is a non-essential amino acid (your body makes it on its own!). It is a major player in your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
Serine is one of your NMF's most abundant components that works as a skin-identical humectant. Its hydroxyl group grabs onto water molecules to boost hydration without any heaviness or occlusion.
Research on a hydrogel with serine confirmed this serine got delivered to your stratum corneum and demonstrated enhanced skin moisturization.
Interestingly serine also helps your skin produce filaggrin, a protein that keeps your skin barrier strong and used to create collagen.
Learn more about SerineUrea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
As a humectant, urea helps draw moisture from the air and from deep within the skin. This helps hydrate your skin. Studies show urea is an effective moisturizer for dry skin conditions. 40% urea is typical in medications for treating eczema and other skin conditions.
Urea has the strongest exfoliation effect in concentrations higher than 10%. It is a keratolytic agent, meaning it breaks down the keratin protein in the top layer of skin. This helps remove dead skin cells and flaking skin.
In medicine, urea has been shown to help increase the potency of other ingredients, such as fungal treatments.
Humans and animals use urea to metabolize nitrogen-containing compounds. Urea is highly soluble in water. Once dissolved, it is neither acidic nor alkaline.
Urea is actually one of the more well-studied and well-supported ingredients out there if you have eczema.
Clinical trials have shown that urea creams in the 5 - 10% range can:
Higher concentrations (20 -30%) can also help with thickened, scaly patches but is also more likely to sting on active flares.
Skip urea if you have rosacea. The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) lists it alongside alcohol, menthol, and fragrance as a potential irritant for rosacea-prone skin. Urea's keratolytic and penetration-enhancing properties can trigger stinging, burning, and redness.
As always, your skin is unique, so definitely check in with your dermatologist.
Learn more about UreaWater. 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