What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningEchinacea Purpurea Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
Skin ConditioningSambucus Nigra Fruit Extract
AstringentZingiber Officinale Root Extract
Masking
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Sodium Phytate
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower, Glycerin, Water, Sodium Hyaluronate, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Sambucus Nigra Fruit Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Alcohol, Sodium Phytate
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Glycerin
Humectant
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Lauryl Lactyl Lactate
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingCocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingCitrus Grandis Peel Oil
Masking
Jasminum Sambac Flower Oil
Masking
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
Emollient
Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningCitric Acid
Buffering
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Phenethyl Alcohol
MaskingCamellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Lauryl Lactyl Lactate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Xanthan Gum, Citrus Grandis Peel Oil, Jasminum Sambac Flower Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil, Sodium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid, Limonene, Linalool, Phenethyl Alcohol
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 JuiceCamellia 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 ExtractEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPhenethyl Alcohol is a colorless and aromatic alohol. It is naturally occuring in essential oils.
The scent of this ingredient is floral and often compared to rose.
Like other alcohols, this ingredient helps prevent the growth of bacteria. However, its main purpose is to impact a fragrance.
Learn more about Phenethyl 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 WaterXanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
On the technical side of things, xanthan gum is a polysaccharide - a combination consisting of multiple sugar molecules bonded together.
Xanthan gum is a pretty common and great ingredient. It is a natural, non-toxic, non-irritating ingredient that is also commonly used in food products.
Learn more about Xanthan Gum
