What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Propanediol
Solvent
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientSodium Chloride
MaskingLysolecithin
EmulsifyingAscorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Beta-Sitosterol
Emulsion Stabilising
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate
Skin ConditioningSqualene
Emollient
Xylitol
Humectant
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Water, 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 ConditioningAloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Sodium Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Lauryl Glucoside
CleansingPolyglyceryl-4 Caprate
EmulsifyingRosa Canina Fruit Extract
Astringent
Rosa Damascena Flower Extract
Masking
Beta Vulgaris Root Extract
Skin ConditioningCrambe Maritima Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningSodium Chloride
MaskingLactic Acid
Buffering
Potassium Lactate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Beta Vulgaris Root Extract, Crambe Maritima Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Fructooligosaccharides, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Lactic Acid, Potassium Lactate, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum
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 a botanical extract pulled from the leaves of aloe vera and one of the most studied plant ingredients in cosmetics.
The inner leaf gel it comes from is mostly water (~99-99.5%) and the remaining fraction is made up of pretty good stuff: polysaccharides, vitamins, phenolics, and enzymes.
Its headline job is hydration.
The star polysaccharide in aloe, acemannan, is a humectant that retains moisture and helps reduce trans-epidermal water loss.
Aloe also has real soothing credentials; it contains anti-inflammatory compounds like bradykinase and C-glucosyl chromone that help calm irritation and redness.
On the repair side, lab work shows that acemannan wakes up your skin's repair cells (fibroblasts), prompting them to multiply and speed up healing.
There's some human data for cosmetic benefit too: a cream containing 10% Aloe Barbadensis leaf extract improved skin hydration and elasticity in a real-use study.
Safety-wise, this ingredient is well-regarded with just one rare downside; there have been some case reports of acute eczema, contact urticaria, and dermatitis in people who applied aloe-derived ingredients topically. Those with a known aloe or Liliaceae sensitivity should patch test.
Typical use levels range widely, from under 1% up to 90%+ depending on the format and the effect you are after.
Learn more about Aloe Barbadensis Leaf ExtractCoco-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 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 “glue” 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 don’t penetrate as deeply. This means they’re 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 skin’s 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 product’s 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 AcidLauryl 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 GlucosideChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideSodium 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-SulfateWater. 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
