What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Cetearyl Olivate
Glycerin
Humectant
Myrica Cerifera Fruit Wax
EmollientSorbitan Olivate
Emulsifying
Sorbitol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Squalene
Emollient
Sodium Chloride
Masking
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
CleansingLactic Acid
Buffering
Glycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Sodium Anisate
AntimicrobialSodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningSorbitan Caprylate
EmulsifyingParfum
Masking
Water
Skin ConditioningCitral
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Cetearyl Olivate, Glycerin, Myrica Cerifera Fruit Wax, Sorbitan Olivate, Sorbitol, Tocopherol, Beta-Sitosterol, Squalene, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Lactic Acid, Glycine Soja Oil, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Sorbitan Caprylate, Parfum, Water, Citral, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningCamellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Cetearyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Rosa Damascena Flower Oil
Masking
Squalene
Emollient
Pelargonium Graveolens Oil
Masking
Sodium Levulinate
Skin ConditioningLavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil
Masking
Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate
CleansingCitronellol
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Geraniol
Perfuming
Water, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Lactobacillus Ferment, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Glucoside, Beta-Sitosterol, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Squalene, Pelargonium Graveolens Oil, Sodium Levulinate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Lactic Acid, Litsea Cubeba Fruit Oil, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Beta-Sitosterol is a plant-derived fatty acid with a structure similar to cholesterol (which naturally occurs in skin). It helps hydrate the skin and stabilize formulations.
This ingredient can be naturally found in fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinLactic Acid is another well-loved alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It is gentler than glycolic acid but still highly effective.
Its main role is to exfoliate the surface of the skin by loosening the âglueâ that holds dead skin cells together. Shedding those old cells leads to smoother, softer, and more even-toned skin.
Because lactic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid, they donât penetrate as deeply. This means theyâre less likely to sting or irritate, making it a great choice for beginners or those with sensitive skin.
Like glycolic acid, it can:
Lactic acid also acts as a humectant (like hyaluronic acid). It can draw water into the skin to improve hydration and also plays a role in the skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the form of sodium lactate.
Studies show it can boost ceramide production to strengthen the skin barrier and even help balance the skinâs microbiome.
To get results, choose products with a pH between 3-4.
Lower strengths (5-12%) focus on surface exfoliation; higher strengths (12% and up) can reach deeper in the dermis (deeper, supportive layer) to improve skin texture and firmness over time.
Though it was originally derived from milk, most modern lactic acid used in skincare is vegan. It is made through non-dairy fermentation to create a bio-identical and stable form suitable for all formulations.
When lactic acid shows up near the end of an ingredient list, it usually means the brand added just a tiny amount to adjust the productâs pH.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Lactic acid is truly a gentle multitasker: it exfoliates, hydrates, strengthens, and brightens. It's a great ingredient for giving your skin a smooth, glowing, and healthy look without the harshness of stronger acids.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidLimonene 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 LimonenePrunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil comes from the sweet almond, a tree native to Iran. This oil has no fragrance and is non-volatile.
Almonds contain healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. It is a rich source of Vitamin E, a great antioxidant and skin conditioning ingredient. Sweet almond oil contains fatty acids such as linolenic acid and triglycerides.
The content of sweet almond oil makes it a great emollient; it can help soften and hydrate your skin. Emollients create a barrier over your skin to trap moisture in. Sweet almond oil has antioxidant properties.
Those with an almond allergy should be careful of this ingredient and speak with a professional about using it in your skincare.
This ingredient may not be fungal-acne safe.
Learn more about Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis OilRicinus Communis Seed Oil is the INCI name for castor oil.
Castor Oil helps moisturize the skin. It is rich in a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. This fatty acid helps prevent moisture loss on the skin. This helps keep your skin soft and hydrated. Ricinoleic acid also has anti-inflammatory and pain reducing properties.
Besides hydrating the skin, castor oil is also used to hydrate hair. By keeping the hair shaft moisturized, breakage is decreased. More studies are needed to show castor oil's effective on stimulating hair growth.
Castor oil is created by cold-pressing castor seeds and then purifying the oil with heat. It was used in Ancient Egypt as fuel in lamps and to help treat eye irritation.
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 Ricinus Communis Seed OilSodium levulinate is the a sodium salt of Levulinic Acid. If dissolved in an aqueous solution, the two ingredients become identical.
It is a skin conditioning agent, meaning it helps soften and hydrate your skin.
According to Cosmetic Ingredient Review, the highest amounts of sodium levulinate are found in mouthwashes at 0.62%.
Learn more about Sodium LevulinateSqualene is naturally found in plants and animals, including our skin and sebum. It is a lipid our bodies naturally produce and makes up about 10-12% of the oil on our skin. Our skin produces squalene to keep itself naturally hydrated.
This ingredient is a potent antioxidant and can help fight against skin damage.
Sources of squalene include olives and rice bran. Some sources may be animals such as from shark liver.
Squalane comes from squalene and is created using hydrogenation. Squalane is lighter than squalene.
Hydrogenation is the conversion from unsaturated oil to saturated oil. This makes squalane more stable and have a longer shelf life than squalene.
Read more about squalane with an "a".
Learn more about SqualeneTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skinâs lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
