What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingRosa Canina Fruit Oil
Emollient
Oenothera Biennis Oil
Emollient
Santalum Acuminatum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Borago Officinalis Seed Oil
Emollient
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil
Masking
Vanillin
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Oenothera Biennis Oil, Santalum Acuminatum Fruit Extract, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tocopherol, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil, Citrus Tangerina Peel Oil, Vanillin, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningPropanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Ceteareth-20
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Tocotrienols
Skin Conditioning
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Santalum Spicatum Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Elaeis Guineensis Oil
Emollient
Mica
Cosmetic Colorant7-Dehydrocholesterol
Emulsion StabilisingCeteareth-25
CleansingPentylene Glycol
Skin Conditioning
Magnesium Aspartate
Skin ConditioningZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Banksia Serrata Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningBarklya Syringifolia Flower/Leaf Extract
Antioxidant
Brachychiton Acerifolius Flower Extract
Antioxidant
Citrus Australasica Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Davidsonia Pruriens Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract
Perfuming
Santalum Acuminatum Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningTelopea Speciosissima Flower/Leaf Extract
Antioxidant
Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Behenic Acid
Cleansing
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Cholesterol
Emollient
Copper Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Ceramide Ns
Skin Conditioning
Glycine
Buffering
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Serine
Masking
Glutamic Acid
Humectant
Ceramide AP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide EOP
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide Eos
Skin Conditioning
Aspartic Acid
Masking
Leucine
Skin ConditioningCaprooyl Phytosphingosine
Skin Conditioning
Caprooyl Sphingosine
Skin ConditioningAlanine
Masking
Lysine
Skin ConditioningArginine
Masking
Tyrosine
MaskingPhenylalanine
Masking
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Threonine
Valine
MaskingIsoleucine
Skin ConditioningHistidine
Humectant
Limonene
Perfuming
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77491
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Tocopherol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocotrienols, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Santalum Spicatum Seed Oil, Butylene Glycol, Elaeis Guineensis Oil, Mica, 7-Dehydrocholesterol, Ceteareth-25, Pentylene Glycol, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Cetyl Alcohol, Banksia Serrata Flower Extract, Barklya Syringifolia Flower/Leaf Extract, Brachychiton Acerifolius Flower Extract, Citrus Australasica Fruit Extract, Davidsonia Pruriens Fruit Extract, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Extract, Santalum Acuminatum Fruit Extract, Tasmannia Lanceolata Fruit Extract, Telopea Speciosissima Flower/Leaf Extract, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Citric Acid, Behenic Acid, Ceramide NP, Cholesterol, Copper Gluconate, Potassium Sorbate, Ceramide Ns, Glycine, Sodium Benzoate, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide Eos, Aspartic Acid, Leucine, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Alanine, Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Threonine, Valine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Limonene, CI 77891, CI 77491
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 JuiceCeteareth-20 is an emulsifier and surfactant made by reacting cetearyl alcohol with 20 moles of ethylene oxide.
This gives it both oil and water-loving properties that makes it an effect emulsifier; it's really great at pulling oil droplets into water to create a stable, creamy, and easy-to-spread base.
Typical use ranges from 0.5-30%. Most leave-on products are in the 1-10% zone.
The 20 ethylene oxide units is well above the PEG-10 threshold and therefore not a food source for Malassezia (it's fungal acne safe).
This ingredient has a comedogenic rating of 2 and an irritancy rating of 3. These numbers come from testing the raw ingredient on rabbit ears and doesn't reflect how it will behave in a finished product.
In practice, this ingredient is a well-tolerated ingredient. The ratings reflect cautious lab conditions and not real-world use. Just be sure to patch test any formulas you feel unsure about.
Learn more about Ceteareth-20Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCetyl 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.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholGlycerin (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 GlycerinLimonene is a fragrance that adds scent and taste to a formulation.
It's found in the peel oil of citrus fruits and other plants such as lavender and eucalyptus. The scent of limonene is generally described as "sweet citrus".
Limonene acts as an antioxidant, meaning it helps neutralize free radicals.
When exposed to air, oxidized limonene may sensitize the skin. Because of this, limonene is often avoided by people with sensitive skin.
The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term. For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance.
Learn more about LimonenePhenoxyethanol 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.
Santalum Acuminatum Fruit Extract is an antioxidant.
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
