What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Glycerin
Humectant
Olus Oil
Emollient
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningBetaine
Humectant
Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract
Saccharum Officinarum Extract
MoisturisingCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract
MaskingCitrus Limon Fruit Extract
Masking
Salix Nigra Bark Extract
Skin ProtectingHelianthus Annuus Extract
Emollient
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Acer Saccharum Extract
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil
Emollient
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Bran Extract
Skin Conditioning
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingBisabolol
Antioxidant
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Stearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-2 Stearate, Glycerin, Olus Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Propanediol, Glyceryl Stearate, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Betaine, Microcitrus Australasica Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon Fruit Extract, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Helianthus Annuus Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Acer Saccharum Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Oryza Sativa Bran Extract, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Bisabolol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Sodium Stearate
CleansingMangifera Indica Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Caprae Lac
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract
Antimicrobial
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSilybum Marianum Extract
Skin Conditioning
Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract
Antioxidant
Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSteareth-21
CleansingTetrasodium EDTA
Water, Glycerin, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Stearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Sodium Stearate, Mangifera Indica Seed Butter, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprae Lac, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Silybum Marianum Extract, Pinus Pinaster Bark Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Xanthan Gum, Steareth-21, Tetrasodium EDTA
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 JuiceThis 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 OilEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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.
Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
Learn more about TocopherolVaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract comes from the bilberry plant. This plant is native to Eurasia.
Bilberry contains antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins help fight free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells. Fighting off these molecules can help reduce signs of aging.
Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract also helps reduce irritation.
Learn more about Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit ExtractWater. 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 WaterXanthan 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
