What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantDipropylene Glycol
HumectantCarrageenan
Ceratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientButylene Glycol
HumectantGlucose
HumectantSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantPotassium Chloride
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate 0.1%
Skin ConditioningCyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum
Emulsion StabilisingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPearl Powder
Disodium EDTA
Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract
MaskingAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialAlgae Extract
EmollientRose Extract
Skin ConditioningChamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
MaskingPunica Granatum Fruit Extract
AntioxidantMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water
AntimicrobialEucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract
PerfumingGlycine Soja Phytoplacenta Extract
Skin ConditioningCollagen
MoisturisingTin Oxide
AbrasiveMica
Cosmetic ColorantParfum
MaskingWater, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Carrageenan, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Butylene Glycol, Glucose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate 0.1%, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pearl Powder, Disodium EDTA, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Algae Extract, Rose Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Water, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja Phytoplacenta Extract, Collagen, Tin Oxide, Mica, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
HumectantCalcium Chloride
AstringentCeratonia Siliqua Gum
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingSwiftlet Nest Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin ConditioningPentylene Glycol
Skin ConditioningHydroxyacetophenone
AntioxidantChondrus Crispus Powder
AbrasiveScutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
AstringentCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialHouttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin ConditioningArtemisia Princeps Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningCitrus Junos Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
EmollientAllantoin
Skin ConditioningPEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
EmulsifyingBetaine
HumectantPanthenol
Skin ConditioningEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCalcium Titanium Borosilicate
AbrasiveMica
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77510
Cosmetic ColorantTin Oxide
AbrasiveCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantRosa Centifolia Flower Water
Skin ConditioningChamaecyparis Obtusa Water
MaskingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientCucumis Sativus Fruit Extract
EmollientHydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingDisodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
HumectantParfum
MaskingSapphire Powder
Water, Glycerin, Calcium Chloride, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Xanthan Gum, Swiftlet Nest Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract, Citrus Junos Fruit Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, Allantoin, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Betaine, Panthenol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Calcium Titanium Borosilicate, Mica, CI 77510, Tin Oxide, CI 77891, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Parfum, Sapphire Powder
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 Extract is an extract of the leaves of the aloe, Aloe barbadensis, Liliaceae.
Aloe is one of the most well-known natural soothing ingredients, and for good reason. It’s full of water and has a cooling, calming effect on the skin, especially when it’s sunburned, itchy, or irritated. Aloe also helps your skin stay hydrated and smooth by mimicking what healthy skin naturally produces. On top of that, it contains vitamins and nutrients that support skin recovery.
It doesn’t protect you from the sun, but it can help your skin bounce back after too much time in it.
Let’s get into the details:
Aloe contains antioxidant Vitamins A, C, and E, which help fight off free radicals (unstable molecules from things like pollution that can damage your skin).
It’s also rich in polysaccharides, which are natural sugars that help hydrate the skin by acting like the skin’s own moisturizing agents. These, along with other sugars like monosaccharides, help form a protective barrier that locks in moisture.
Aloe works as both a humectant and an emollient. That means it draws water into the skin (humectant) and helps trap it there (emollient), making it an effective natural moisturizer.
You’ll also find a mix of other skin-supporting ingredients in aloe, including folic acid, choline, calcium, amino acids, fatty acids, and even Vitamin B12.
Out of the 420+ species of aloe, Aloe barbadensis is the most widely used in skincare products thanks to its gentle yet effective properties.
There are over 420 species of aloe but Aloe Barbadensis is the most commonly used for topical products.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf ExtractButylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (tea extract) is one of the most well-researched plant extracts in skincare with an impressive resume.
Black tea, green tea, and oolong tea are all harvested from the Camellia Sinensis plant.
Studies show green tea extract and its catechins (like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)) help your skin cells product energy more efficiently and reducing the number of free-radicals that can damage your skin from the inside.
In lab-grown skin models, this translated to younger, healthier, and stronger skin.
There's also good sun protection data; researchers saw less DNA damage and redness on human skin when green tea was applied before UVB exposure. And the more they applied, the better the protection.
Needless to say, this ingredient shouldn't replace your sunscreen. But it is a great supportive ingredient that you can already find in many sunscreens and antioxidant serums.
A 2009 study found a 2% green tea lotion was effective for mild-to-moderate acne thanks to its anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial activity.
The quality of the extract matters a lot here:
Good extracts contain 50-90% catechins while lower quality ones are mostly there for marketing. We recommend reaching out to the brand if you have questions about the quality or source of their ingredients.
Human Repeated Insult Patch Testing showed no irritation or sensitization at use concentrations (0.86% in leave-on products and up to 30% as leaf water).
Learn more about Camellia Sinensis Leaf ExtractCeratonia Siliqua Gum is extracted from the seeds of the carob tree. You might know this ingredient as Carob Gum or Locust Bean Gum. It is used to stabilize other ingredients and improve the texture of products.
Carob gum is made up of long-chain polysaccharides. This makes it a natural thickener.
Yes! This ingredient comes from the seeds of a tree. The name 'Locust Bean Gum' can be misleading.
Learn more about Ceratonia Siliqua GumDisodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinHydroxyethylcellulose is used to improve the texture of products. It is created from a chemical reaction involving ethylene oxide and alkali-cellulose. Cellulose is a sugar found in plant cell walls and help give plants structure.
This ingredient helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating. It can also help thicken the texture of a product.
This ingredient can also be found in pill medicines to help our bodies digest other ingredients.
Learn more about HydroxyethylcelluloseMica is a naturally occurring mineral used to add shimmer and color in cosmetics. It can also help improve the texture of a product or give it an opaque, white/silver color.
Serecite is the name for very fine but ragged grains of mica.
This ingredient is often coated with metal oxides like titanium dioxide. Trace amounts of heavy metals may be found in mica, but these metals are not harmful in our personal products.
Mica has been used since prehistoric times throughout the world. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Aztec, and Chinese civilizations have used mica.
Learn more about MicaParfum 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 ParfumSodium Hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid. It is a long sugar chain that is naturally found in your skin, joints, and connective tissue that maintains hydration and elasticity.
In skincare, it works as a humectant. It pulls water from the environment and deeper layers of skin and binds it to the surface.
Interestingly, the size of the molecule affects its behavior:
Some clinical evidence links low molecular weight versions to improved wrinkle depth, elasticity, anti-inflammatory effects, and barrier repair.
Many serums use a blend of both weights so you can get surface hydration plus longer-lasting and deeper effects.
You'll typically see concentrations between 0.1-2% for this ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium HyaluronateTin Oxide is an inorganic oxide used to add opacity and volume to a product. In nature, it is already found in mineral form. The main ore of tin is an opaque and shiny mineral called casseterite.
Tin Oxide helps remove translucency in a product, or make it more opaque. Besides adding opacity, tin oxide is used for bulking to add volume.
Water. 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