What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningKaolin
Abrasive
Tapioca Starch
Glycerin
Humectant
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil
Masking
Acanthopanax Senticosus Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCurcuma Longa Root Extract
Masking
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarrageenan
Alcohol
Antimicrobial
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingParfum
Masking
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
CI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Kaolin, Tapioca Starch, Glycerin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Niacinamide, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Acanthopanax Senticosus Root Extract, Curcuma Longa Root Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Glycine Soja Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopherol, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Parfum, Benzyl Alcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, CI 77492
Water
Skin ConditioningKaolin
Abrasive
Tapioca Starch
Glycerin
Humectant
Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
Absorbent
Charcoal Powder
Abrasive
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Avena Sativa Bran Extract
Abrasive
Honey
Humectant
Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract
Skin ConditioningSalicylic Acid
Masking
Citric Acid
Buffering
Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Myroxylon Pereirae Oil
Masking
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCarrageenan
Dehydroacetic Acid
Preservative
Benzyl Alcohol
Perfuming
Water, Kaolin, Tapioca Starch, Glycerin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Charcoal Powder, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Avena Sativa Bran Extract, Honey, Ascophyllum Nodosum Extract, Salicylic Acid, Citric Acid, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Myroxylon Pereirae Oil, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol
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 an aromatic alcohol with several roles: it's a preservative, solvent, and mild fragrance component with a floral scent.
This ingredient has been deemed safe for use in cosmetic formulations at concentrations up to 5%, and up to 10% in hair dyes. You'll typically see 0.5-2% in most rinse-off or leave-on products.
As a preservative, it works by disrupting the membrane of microbial proteins. This helps keep bacteria and fungi from growing in your products.
The sensitization picture is actually quite assuring as well:of nearly 71,000 patients patch tested with benzyl alcohol, only 0.21% showed a positive reaction with most of them being weakly positive.
This led researchers to conclude that benzyl alcohol cannot be regarded as a significant contact allergen.
It is worth noting this ingredient is classified as one of the EU's regulated fragrance allergens and restricted to 1% in finished products.
Labels must also declare it in concentrations above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
At concentrations around 5%, localized redness and itching can appear as a direct irritant response and not as a true allergic reaction.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCarrageenan comes from red seaweed or algae. It is made up of polysaccharides and a highly flexible compound. Red algae cell walls are rich in carrageenan.
In cosmetics, it helps to thicken the texture. Studies show carrageenan extracted from red algae possess antioxidant properties. Components found in carrageenan include: lipids, fatty acids, Vitamin E, proteins, and several amino acids.
Learn more about different types of algae.
Carrageenan is also commonly used in medicine and food. It is a vegan alternative to animal-based gelatin.
Learn more about CarrageenanCitric 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 AcidDehydroacetic Acid is a synthetic preservative that keeps your products safe from microbes.
As an organic acid, it penetrates microbial cell walls and disrupts cellular metabolism. This makes it effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold.
It is effective at low concentrations (<0.6%). Clinical studies have found it to be non-irritating, non-sensitizing, and non-photosensitizing.
Learn more about Dehydroacetic 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 GlycerinKaolin is a clay. It is used for oil control and to help minimize pores. Like other clays, kaolin has the ability to absorb excess sebum or oil. This can help clean out pores and mattify the skin.
Some types of kaolin may have exfoliating properties. When water is added to kaolin, it becomes a paste with small abrasive particles.
Most kaolin is a white color, but may be pink/orange/red depending on where it comes from.
The name 'kaolin' comes from a Chinese village named 'Gaoling'. Kaolin clay comes from rocks rich in kaolinite. Kaolinite, the mineral, has a silicate layered structure. Kaolinite is formed from chemical weathering of aluminum siilicate minerals.
Besides skincare, kaolin is commonly used to make glossy paper, in ceramics, toothpaste, and as medicine to soothe stomach issues.
Learn more about KaolinMagnesium Aluminum Silicate is a type of silica. It comes from naturally occuring minerals such as silicate ores and clay.
Magnesium aluminum silicate is used for enhancing texture and as an absorbent. Due to its large molecular size, it is unable to be absorbed into the skin.
Like other types of silica, this ingredient can be used to thicken a product. As an absorbent, it may be used to absorb extra water or help prevent clumping.
Although “aluminum” in an ingredient name can raise red flags for some consumers, the form and usage context matter significantly. For typical topical applications, there is no substantial evidence of health risks - such as cancer, neurotoxicity, or systemic “aluminum overload.”
Learn more about Magnesium Aluminum SilicateTapioca starch is a thickening agent and is made from the cassava root, also known as yucca.
According to a manufacturer, it is an excellent talc replacement.
It is gluten-free.
Learn more about Tapioca StarchWater. 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
