What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Glycerin
HumectantSucrose
HumectantSilica
AbrasivePEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin ConditioningAnanas Sativus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningAgave Tequilana Leaf Extract
AstringentCarica Papaya Leaf Extract
TonicAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningWater
Skin ConditioningLactic Acid
BufferingPapain
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
AbsorbentSodium Metabisulfite
AntioxidantParfum
MaskingSodium Benzoate
MaskingCI 14700
Cosmetic ColorantCI 19140
Cosmetic ColorantGlycerin, Sucrose, Silica, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Ananas Sativus Fruit Extract, Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract, Carica Papaya Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Water, Lactic Acid, Papain, Maltodextrin, Sodium Metabisulfite, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, CI 14700, CI 19140
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientCetyl Alcohol
EmollientStearyl Alcohol
EmollientSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
CleansingHelianthus Annuus Seed Oil
EmollientHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters
Skin ConditioningPerlite
AbsorbentOryza Sativa Starch
AbsorbentParfum
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningTerminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract
AntioxidantAscorbic Acid
AntioxidantLactic Acid
BufferingGlycolic Acid
BufferingPapain
Skin ConditioningBromelain
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
AbsorbentTocopherol
AntioxidantMalic Acid
BufferingVanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeIron Oxides
Galactoarabinan
Sodium Riboflavin Phosphate
Skin ConditioningWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Perlite, Oryza Sativa Starch, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Papain, Bromelain, Maltodextrin, Tocopherol, Malic Acid, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Iron Oxides, Galactoarabinan, Sodium Riboflavin Phosphate
Reviews
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 JuiceGlycerin (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 GlycerinLactic Acid is another well-loved alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). It is gentler than glycolic acid but still highly effective.
Its main role is to exfoliate the surface of the skin by loosening the âglueâ that holds dead skin cells together. Shedding those old cells leads to smoother, softer, and more even-toned skin.
Because lactic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid, they donât penetrate as deeply. This means theyâre less likely to sting or irritate, making it a great choice for beginners or those with sensitive skin.
Like glycolic acid, it can:
Lactic acid also acts as a humectant (like hyaluronic acid). It can draw water into the skin to improve hydration and also plays a role in the skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF) in the form of sodium lactate.
Studies show it can boost ceramide production to strengthen the skin barrier and even help balance the skinâs microbiome.
To get results, choose products with a pH between 3-4.
Lower strengths (5-12%) focus on surface exfoliation; higher strengths (12% and up) can reach deeper in the dermis (deeper, supportive layer) to improve skin texture and firmness over time.
Though it was originally derived from milk, most modern lactic acid used in skincare is vegan. It is made through non-dairy fermentation to create a bio-identical and stable form suitable for all formulations.
When lactic acid shows up near the end of an ingredient list, it usually means the brand added just a tiny amount to adjust the productâs pH.
Legend has it that Cleopatra used to bathe in sour milk to help reduce wrinkles.
Lactic acid is truly a gentle multitasker: it exfoliates, hydrates, strengthens, and brightens. It's a great ingredient for giving your skin a smooth, glowing, and healthy look without the harshness of stronger acids.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Lactic AcidMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinPapain is a proteolytic enzyme extracted from unripe papaya fruit. It is a gentle exfoliator that helps remove the dead skin cells from your outermost layer of skin.
Basically, papain works by dissolving the "glue" holding dead skin cells to your skin's surface. This also promotes cell turnover and smooths texture.
Unlike other exfoliants, papain can work without causing significant irritation.
Beyond exfoliation, its proteolytic action also helps soothe irritated skin and supports the healing of minor wounds.
A 2024 in vivo/in vitro study confirmed its potential to suppress skin inflammation and improve transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in atopic dermatitis models.
Just one thing worth noting: there are reports of allergic responses in individuals with a papaya or latex sensitivity. Be sure to patch test if you're in this camp.
Learn more about PapainParfum 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 âFRAGRANCEâ or âPARFUMâ 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 ParfumWater. 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