What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Propanediol
Solvent
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride
C15-19 Alkane
SolventGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientButyrospermum Parkii Butter
Skin Conditioning
Cocos Nucifera Oil
Masking
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningSqualene
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Propanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride, C15-19 Alkane, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Beta-Sitosterol, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Squalene, Xylitol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Tocopherol
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Coco-Caprylate
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientCitrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil
Masking
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Masking
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning
Rosa Canina Fruit Extract
Astringent
Sucrose
Humectant
Salix Purpurea Bark Extract
Skin ConditioningVaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract
AstringentVaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningMagnolia Officinalis Bark Extract
AntimicrobialBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Cetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Olus Oil
Emollient
Squalene
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Limonene
Perfuming
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Caprylate, Lecithin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Sucrose, Salix Purpurea Bark Extract, Vaccinium Macrocarpon Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Beta-Sitosterol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cetyl Alcohol, Olus Oil, Squalene, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Tocopherol, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Limonene
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.Â
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 ExtractBeta-Sitosterol is a plant-derived fatty acid with a structure similar to cholesterol (which naturally occurs in skin). It helps hydrate the skin and stabilize formulations.
This ingredient can be naturally found in fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds.
Cetearyl alcohol is a mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is mainly used as an emulsifier. Emulsifiers help prevent the separation of oils and products. Due to its composition, it can also be used to thicken a product or help create foam.
Cetearyl alcohol is an emollient. Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Studies show Cetearyl alcohol is non-toxic and non-irritating. The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
This ingredient is usually derived from plant oils such as palm, vegetable, or coconut oils. There is debate on whether this ingredient will cause acne.
Due to the fatty acid base, this ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCetyl 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 AlcoholGlycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.
As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.
Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.
Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.
In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.
This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid, a fatty acid from coconut. It has emollient and emulsifier properties.
As an emollient, it helps hydrate your skin. Emollients work by creating a barrier on your skin to trap moisture in, helping to keep your skin soft and smooth.
On the other hand, emulsifiers prevent ingredients (such as oil and water) from separating.
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateGlyceryl Stearate Se is a self-emulsifying (SE) form of glyceryl stearate. Self-emusifying means this ingredient automatically blends with water. It is an emulsifier, emollient, and cleansing agent.
As an emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate Se prevents ingredients such as oil and water from separating. It is also a surfactant, meaning it helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants help gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants so they may be rinsed away easily.
Emollients help your skin stay smooth and soft. It does so by creating a film on top of the skin that helps trap moisture in.
Learn more about Glyceryl Stearate SeSqualene is naturally found in plants and animals, including our skin and sebum. It is a lipid our bodies naturally produce and makes up about 10-12% of the oil on our skin. Our skin produces squalene to keep itself naturally hydrated.
This ingredient is a potent antioxidant and can help fight against skin damage.
Sources of squalene include olives and rice bran. Some sources may be animals such as from shark liver.
Squalane comes from squalene and is created using hydrogenation. Squalane is lighter than squalene.
Hydrogenation is the conversion from unsaturated oil to saturated oil. This makes squalane more stable and have a longer shelf life than squalene.
Read more about squalane with an "a".
Learn more about SqualeneTocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Vitamin E also helps keep your natural skin lipids healthy. Your lipid skin barrier naturally consists of lipids, ceramides, and fatty acids. Vitamin E offers extra protection for your skin’s lipid barrier, keeping your skin healthy and nourished.
Another benefit is a bit of UV protection. Vitamin E helps reduce the damage caused by UVB rays. (It should not replace your sunscreen). Combining it with Vitamin C can decrease sunburned cells and hyperpigmentation after UV exposure.
You might have noticed Vitamin E + C often paired together. This is because it is great at stabilizing Vitamin C. Using the two together helps increase the effectiveness of both ingredients.
There are often claims that Vitamin E can reduce/prevent scarring, but these claims haven't been confirmed by scientific research.
Learn more about TocopherolWater. 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. Stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
