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
Surfactant
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 Benzoate
Masking
Zinc Oxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Titanium Dioxide
Cosmetic Colorant
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil
Emollient
Carica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningDipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
EDTA
Citric Acid
Buffering
Glycerin
Humectant
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Emulsifying Wax Nf
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearic Acid
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Kojic Acid
Antioxidant
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Water, Sodium Benzoate, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, EDTA, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Emulsifying Wax Nf, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Tocopherol, Kojic Acid, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Niacinamide, Ascorbic Acid
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 JuiceThis ingredient is also known as shea butter. It is a plant-derived extract from the nuts of the Africa shea tree and one of the most well-studied emollients.
Because it has a high concentration of fatty acids (primarily oleic, stearic, and linoleic) it is able to form a protective barrier on the skin's surface. This helps seal in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL).
In vitro research found an increase in skin hydration by 58% and a decrease in TEWL by 37.8% after 24 hours of applying this ingredient (pretty impressive for a single ingredient!).
Besides hydration, shea butter also contains triterpenes that have anti-inflammatory potential. In particule, lupeol cinnamate has shown the highest anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.
Shea butter also contains vitamins A and E which may contribute to antioxidant activity.
While Shea Butter has an SPF rating of about 3-4, it is not a sunscreen replacement.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe because its fatty acids fall within the C11-C24 range that the Malassezia yeast can metabolize.
Learn more about Butyrospermum Parkii ButterCetyl 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.
This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. It is a primary fatty alcohol with a chain length above 12 carbons. A study from 2019 show Malassezia can feed on fatty alcohols in this range, so it may trigger fungal acne in those prone to it.
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 GlycerinStearic 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 WaterThis is not considered an INCI ingredient.
Emulsifying Wax NF is about 2/3 cetearyl alcohol and 1/3 polysorbate 60. In cosmetics, this blend is usually listed out as the individual ingredients.
The NF stands for National Formulary, meaning it conforms to the approved composition.
This ingredient is used as an emulsifier. It stabilizes the product by keeping oils and waters together.
Learn more about Emulsifying Wax Nf
