What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCydonia Oblonga Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMoringa Oleifera Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Salvia Officinalis Extract
Antimicrobial
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil
Masking
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Cydonia Oblonga Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract
HumectantEucalyptus Olida Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Officinalis Root Extract
Skin Conditioning
Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningCydonia Oblonga Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract
Emollient
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Citric Acid
Buffering
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract, Eucalyptus Olida Leaf Extract, Althaea Officinalis Root Extract, Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Cydonia Oblonga Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Metabisulfite, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid
Reviews
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 AlcoholCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract comes from the Chamomile flower.
Chamomile is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. Several compounds found in chamomile help with soothing, such as bisbolol.
Antioxidant components in chamomile make it an effective ingredient to help slow the signs of aging. Antioxidants help fight free-radical molecules, or molecules that may damage your skin.
Essential oils from chamomile have been found to improve wound healing due to its antimicrobial properties.
Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used Chamomile to treat skin redness and dryness. Chamomile has also been used to help treat stomach issues.
Learn more about Chamomilla Recutita Flower ExtractCocos Nucifera Fruit Extract comes from the meat of the coconut fruit. It is an emollient and skin conditioner with antioxidant properties.
Coconut fruit is naturally rich in amino acids, sugars, and nutrients including Vitamin C and small amounts of vitamin B. Malic acid can also be found in coconut fruit extract.
We don't have a description for Cydonia Oblonga Leaf Extract yet.
We don't have a description for Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract yet.
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 GlycerinGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateWe don't have a description for Moringa Oleifera Leaf Extract yet.
Phenoxyethanol 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 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 GlutamateWater. 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
