What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientCoco-Glucoside
CleansingSodium Coco-Sulfate
CleansingPropanediol
SolventLauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantGlyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Chloride
MaskingLysolecithin
EmulsifyingAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantStearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningSqualene
EmollientXylitol
HumectantGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
EmollientLecithin
EmollientTocopherol
AntioxidantLactic Acid
BufferingWater, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Propanediol, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Chloride, Lysolecithin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Sitosterol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Squalene, Xylitol, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Lactic Acid
Water
Skin ConditioningHectorite
AbsorbentAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
EmollientCoco-Glucoside
CleansingSodium Coco-Sulfate
CleansingGlycerin
HumectantLauryl Glucoside
CleansingMentha Piperita Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMentha Viridis Leaf Oil
AstringentAscorbyl Palmitate
AntioxidantBeta-Sitosterol
Emulsion StabilisingSqualene
EmollientXanthan Gum
EmulsifyingGlyceryl Oleate
EmollientHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
EmollientLecithin
EmollientPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingTocopherol
AntioxidantCitric Acid
BufferingParfum
MaskingLimonene
PerfumingWater, Hectorite, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Mentha Piperita Leaf Extract, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Sitosterol, Squalene, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Oleate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, 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 ExtractAscorbyl Palmitate is a fat-soluble form of vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) made by combining it with palmitic acid.
It is able to blend easily into creams and oil-based formulas because it dissolves in oils rather than water.
As you may know, regular vitamin C is notorious for breaking down when exposed to sunlight and air. Ascorbyl Palmitate is more stable and degrades at a slower rate.
Research on whether it converts efficiently into active vitamin C once it's applied on your skin is still limited.
Some in-vitro studies suggest it may support collagen production, but it is not considered one of the stronger vitamin C derivatives, like:
Due to the palmitic acid base, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. Comedogenic studies have also shown this ingredient to have a rating of 2.
It's also worth keeping in mind that comedogenic and irritancy ratings are tested on individual ingredients, not finished formulas. The final product's formulation, concentration, and other ingredients all play a role in how something actually behaves on your skin.
Learn more about Ascorbyl PalmitateBeta-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.
Coco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Oleate is the monoester of glycerin and oleic acid. It is a skin-conditioning emollient that also helps form emulsions.
What makes glyceryl oleate special is its "re-fatting" effect.
When you wash your hair and skin with a surfactant-based cleanser, the surfactants grab onto everything. This includes your skin's natural lipids, or the fats that live in your skin barrier and sebum. Once you rinse these surfactants away, it leaves your skin feeling tight, dry, and clean (in a not-good way).
Re-fatting is essentially putting some of these lipids back. Glyceryl oleate deposits a thin layer of emollient lipids back on the skin or hair surface reduce some of the barrier damage.
Also, glyceryl oleate isn't a foreign molecule to your skin. It's chemically identical to something your skin already produces and manages naturally. This is why it tends to be well-tolerated with low risk of irritation.
Typical use levels range from 0.5-5%.
Glyceryl Oleate has a function of "perfuming" in the CosIng database. This just means that the ingredient has some scent character that can contribute to the product's overall smell.
The scent of this ingredient is described as "waxy".
As an ester of oleic acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. This is because oleic acid falls into the carbon-chain length that Malassezia can use as a substrate.
Learn more about Glyceryl OleateHydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate isn't fungal acne safe.
Lauryl Glucoside sugar- and lipid-based cleansing agent. It is created from glucose and lauryl alcohol.
This ingredient is a surfactant, making it easier to rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants away.
A British study found lauryl glucoside to cause skin sensitivity for some people. We recommend speaking with a professional if you have concerns.
Other names for this ingredient include "Lauryl Polyglucose", "Lauryl glycoside", and "D-Glucopyranoside".
Learn more about Lauryl GlucosideLecithin is a term for a group of substances found in the cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of phospholipids.
Thanks to its amphiphilic structure (water-loving head and oil-loving tail), it is a true multitasker:
It plays well with most ingredients and is typically used at 0.1-1%. However, concentrations up to 50% have been reported in moisturizers.
Depending on the source of this ingredient, lecithin may not be fungal acne safe. This is because some sources of lecithin come from soybean oil, which may feed the malassezia yeast that causes fungal acne.
We recommend reaching out to the brand you are purchasing from to inquire about the source of their lecithin.
Learn more about LecithinSodium Coco-Sulfate (SCS) is an anionic cleanser made by sulfating coconut-derived fatty alcohols and neutralizing them into a sodium salt. It's a strong and bubbly cleanser and closely realted to SLS.
This ingredient works by grabbing onto oil, dirt, and grime so they can be rinsed away. It also helps add foam for a big-lather feel.
Like other members of the alkyl sulfate family, these surfactants can be drying or irritating. This is especially true if your skin barrier is already stressed, the product is very concentrated, or if you leave the ingredient on for too long.
One research paper comparing SCS vs SLS found SCS may score a bit more on the "milder" side for irritation measures, but it still interacts strongly with skin lipids which can cause barrier disruption.
SCS tends to be the best in rinse-off products.
Learn more about Sodium Coco-SulfateSqualane is one of the main components of skin surface lipids. It is naturally found in our skin and makes up about 13% of sebum.
Topically, it is an emollient and skin conditioning agent.
Research highlights its role in antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory effects, skin barrier protection, and wound healing support.
In vivo research has shown that transepidermal water loss (TEWL) caused by irritant exposure can be reverse with squalene supplementation (pointing to barrier recovery support).
Its antioxidant activity is backed by ex vivo and cell-based evidence showing it can scavenge free radicals but large-scale human clinical trials isolating this effect remain limited.
One study found squalene regulated proinflammatory behavior in ways relevant to wound healing, and in vitro fibroblast studies also shows it stimulates cell migration which is a key step in skin repair.
There's just one nuance to know about this ingredient:
Squalene is particularly vulnerable to oxidation; it breaks down from UV exposure 10x faster than the other lipids on your skin's surface. The byproducts of that breakdown can clog pores and trigger inflammation, potentially worsening acne.
This is why squalene is often hydrogenated into its stable counterpart: squalane (with an "a"). Most great formulations will have alreadu kept this in mind.
Squalene has shown no significant clinical evidence of sensitization and is a great hydrating ingredient.
Learn more about SqualeneTocopherol is a fat-soluble antioxidant known as Vitamin E.
You'll find this ingredient in the vast majority of skincare (for good reason). It works to neutralize free radicals, or unstable molecules generated by UV exposure, pollution, and other environmental stressors, before they can cause oxidative damage to your skin cells.
Topically applied tocopherol has been shown to protect against UV damage by ramping up the skin's own natural defense enzymes.
It also acts as a skin conditioning agent; some studies show that regular topical use can improve the skin's water-binding capacity over 2-4 weeks.
This ingredient is especially loved for being a team player. When combined with Vitamin C, the photoprotective effect of both ingredients roughly doubles and the combo also helps reduce UV-induced DNA damage.
This ingredient has some brightening potential but it's more of a prevention ingredient than spot-fader. Cell studies show it can slow down melanin production but it's worth noting that it's not the most powerful brightener out there.
In formulations, it also serves as a stabilizer that helps protect other oxidation-prone ingredients from degrading.
Concentrations usually range from 0.1-1% in most leave-on products.
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. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water