What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningSesamum Indicum Seed Oil
EmollientCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantCetyl Alcohol
EmollientCeteareth-20
CleansingRosa Canina Fruit Oil
EmollientTheobroma Cacao Seed Butter
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningSimmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
EmollientPersea Gratissima Oil
Skin ConditioningTriticum Vulgare Germ Oil
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantEquisetum Arvense Extract
AstringentArctium Lappa Root Extract
Skin ConditioningUrtica Dioica Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Tangerina Peel Oil
MaskingCitrus Nobilis Peel Oil
MaskingLavandula Angustifolia Oil
MaskingVanillin
MaskingVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Paradisi Seed Extract
MaskingCitric Acid
BufferingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingLinalool
PerfumingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima Oil, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Tocopherol, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Urtica Dioica Leaf Extract, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Vanillin, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Citrus Paradisi Seed Extract, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningDicaprylyl Carbonate
EmollientGlycerin
HumectantC13-15 Alkane
SolventGlyceryl Stearate Se
EmulsifyingCetyl Esters
EmollientSqualane
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
EmollientNiacinamide
SmoothingCeramide NP
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantAvena Sativa Kernel Extract
AbrasiveSodium PCA
HumectantHibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningPlumeria Acutifolia Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHydroxyproline
Skin ConditioningProline
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialPanthenol
Skin ConditioningCetearyl Olivate
Sorbitan Olivate
EmulsifyingHydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTrisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeSodium Citrate
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Isostearate
EmulsifyingTocopheryl Acetate
AntioxidantSodium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeCitric Acid
BufferingTocopherol
AntioxidantSodium Benzoate
MaskingWater, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, C13-15 Alkane, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Cetyl Esters, Squalane, Stearyl Alcohol, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Sodium Hyaluronate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Sodium PCA, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Plumeria Acutifolia Flower Extract, Hydroxyproline, Proline, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Chlorphenesin, Panthenol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Citrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate
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 JuiceCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidGlycerin (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.
Tocopherol 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 TocopherolWater. 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