What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
PEG-100 Stearate
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Kojic Dipalmitate
Emollient
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningSodium Hydroxide
BufferingStearic Acid
Cleansing
Emulsifying Wax Nf
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter
Emollient
C12-20 Acid PEG-8 Ester
Emulsifying
Betaine
Humectant
Imidazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Acrylates Crosspolymer
AbsorbentPolyacrylamide
C13-14 Isoparaffin
Emollient
Laureth-7
EmulsifyingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Lanolin
Emollient
Disodium EDTA
Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil
Emollient
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Kojic Dipalmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Emulsifying Wax Nf, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, C12-20 Acid PEG-8 Ester, Betaine, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Acrylates Crosspolymer, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Polysorbate 20, Lanolin, Disodium EDTA, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Alpha-Arbutin, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Petrolatum
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
EmulsifyingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Acrylates Copolymer
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingPolysorbate 20
Emulsifying
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract
Abrasive
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract
SmoothingGlycerin
Humectant
Etidronic Acid
Coconut Acid
Cleansing
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-7
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Petrolatum, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Decyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Acrylates Copolymer, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Hydroxide, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Boswellia Serrata Resin Extract, Glycerin, Etidronic Acid, Coconut Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyquaternium-7, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Parfum
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 JuiceCetearyl 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 AlcoholEthylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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.
Polysorbate 20 is a gentle, water-soluble emulsifier and mild surfactant. It stops oil and water from separating to keep your formulas blended and stable.
It also acts as a mild penetration enhancer by helping active ingredients absorb slightly better.
The common safety discussion around this ingredient involves a manufacturing byproduct called 1,4-dioxane.
Trace amounts can form during production but the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety has concluded that levels at/below 10 ppm in finished products are safe (commercial products consistently fall within acceptable margins).
True allergic reactions are uncommon and the CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be safe as used in cosmetics.
Because it is derived from lauric acid, it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Polysorbate 20Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.
In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.
Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.
"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.
Learn more about Sodium HydroxideStearic Acid is a fatty acid that is already found in your skin. It's one of the free fatty acids that works alongside ceramides and cholesterols to maintain your barrier.
In cosmetics, it is a multitasker:
Safety-wise, the CIR Expert Panel has concluded it to be safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
Free stearic acid is a C18 fatty acid that the Malassezia yeast can substrate, so this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Stearic AcidWater. 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
