What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Dilaurate
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Parfum
Masking
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Stearalkonium Chloride
Preservative
Dimethicone
Emollient
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyltrimonium Honey
Mel
EmollientPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Keratin Amino Acids
Skin ConditioningSilk Amino Acids
HumectantAscorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Water, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Propanediol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Parfum, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Stearalkonium Chloride, Dimethicone, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey, Mel, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Keratin Amino Acids, Silk Amino Acids, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lactic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningMel
EmollientRicinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Biotin
AntiseborrhoeicOlea Europaea Fruit Oil
Masking
Agave Americana Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCarica Papaya Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningZingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningEuterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
EmulsifyingGlycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Cyclopentasiloxane
Emollient
Dimethicone
Emollient
Water, Mel, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Biotin, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Agave Americana Leaf Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Glycerin, Parfum, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone
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 JuiceCetyl 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 AlcoholThis ingredient is also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.
The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.
A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.
Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.
It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.
Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.
Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.
Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".
Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).
The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.
Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).
Learn more about Cocos Nucifera OilDimethicone is a type of synthetic silicone created from natural materials such as quartz. It is also known as polydimethylsiloxane.
What it does:
Dimethicone comes in different viscosities:
Depending on the viscosity, dimethicone has different properties.
Ingredients lists don't always show which type is used, so we recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the viscosity.
This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation because it does not get absorbed into skin. However, people with silicone allergies should be careful about using this ingredient.
Note: Dimethicone may contribute to pilling. This is because it is not oil or water soluble, so pilling may occur when layered with products. When mixed with heavy oils in a formula, the outcome is also quite greasy.
Learn more about DimethiconeWe don't have a description for Mel yet.
Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or '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 by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumStearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholWater. 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
