What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
C13-15 Alkane
SolventBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Isopentyldiol
Humectant
Polyquaternium-10
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter
Skin Conditioning
Quaternium-91
Aloe Vera Callus Extract
Antioxidant
Cetrimonium Methosulfate
AntimicrobialHydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
Skin ConditioningAnanas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningSodium PCA
Humectant
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antimicrobial
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyproline
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Quinoa
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-37
Pisum Sativum Seed Extract
Skin ConditioningPropylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
Emollient1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
PPG-1 Trideceth-6
Skin ConditioningTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
Sodium Phytate
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetearyl Alcohol, C13-15 Alkane, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Glycerin, Isopentyldiol, Polyquaternium-10, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Quaternium-91, Aloe Vera Callus Extract, Cetrimonium Methosulfate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Sodium PCA, Cetrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Phenethyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Proline, Hydroxyproline, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Polyquaternium-37, Pisum Sativum Seed Extract, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, 1,2-Hexanediol, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Sodium Phytate
Water
Skin ConditioningEquisetum Arvense Leaf Extract
AstringentSalvia Officinalis Leaf Extract
CleansingUrtica Urens Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningRosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Masking
Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract
Cleansing
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Surfactant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Persea Gratissima Oil
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Propanediol
Solvent
Glycerin
Humectant
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
Masking
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sorbic Acid
Preservative
Diethyl Phthalate
Masking
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningWater, Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis Leaf Extract, Urtica Urens Leaf Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Diethyl Phthalate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
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 JuiceBehentrimonium Methosulfate is an ammonium salt. It is mainly used to prevent static in haircare products as a surfactant.
Surfactants have differing ends: one side is hydrophilic while the other end is hydrophobic.
Surfactants also help your cleansers remove pollutants more easily from the skin.
Learn more about Behentrimonium MethosulfateThis 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 ButterCetearyl 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.
A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl 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 GlycerinTocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
One study found using Tocopheryl Acetate with Vitamin C decreased the number of sunburned cells.
Tocopheryl Acetate is commonly found in both skincare and dietary supplements.
Learn more about Tocopheryl AcetateWater. 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
