What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningBabassu Oil Glycereth-8 Esters
Emulsifying
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Lauramidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Glycinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPunica Granatum Fruit Juice
MaskingGarcinia Mangostana Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCoffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Laurate
CleansingSodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingStearamidoethyl Diethylamine
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Babassu Oil Glycereth-8 Esters, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Lauramidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Juice, Garcinia Mangostana Fruit Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Stearamidoethyl Diethylamine, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin
Water
Skin ConditioningBabassu Oil Glycereth-8 Esters
Emulsifying
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Lauramidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingSodium Lauroyl Glycinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract
Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningPunica Granatum Fruit Juice
MaskingGarcinia Mangostana Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningCoffea Arabica Seed Extract
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract
Astringent
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Laurate
CleansingSodium Lauroamphoacetate
CleansingStearamidoethyl Diethylamine
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Babassu Oil Glycereth-8 Esters, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Lauramidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glycinate, Glycerin, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Juice, Garcinia Mangostana Fruit Extract, Coffea Arabica Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Stearamidoethyl Diethylamine, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Babassu Oil Glycereth-8 Esters is an oil.
Camellia 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 ExtractThis ingredient is more commonly known as the coffee bean from the Coffea Arabica tree. Besides being a delicious drink, coffee beans have a ton of skin benefits.
Coffea Arabica Seed Extract (CASE) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and UV-protective properties. (It should not replace your sunscreen!)
CASE contains several ingredients that protect and soothe skin. These include caffeine, polysaccharides, sucrose, lipids, minerals, and proteins.
The star ingredient in coffee is caffeine.
Caffeine helps with anti-aging, antioxidant, and photo-protection.
How? It has been shown to block collagenase (~41%), elastase (~35%), and tyrosinase (~13%).
Collagenase and elastase are enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, respectively. Tyrosinase is the enzyme that controls melanin production.
Our skin creates melanin when exposed to UV as a defense mechanism.
It should be noted most studies looked at caffeine's ability to inhibit damage from UV-B rays.
According to a manufacturer, this ingredient is often dissolved using water, glycerin, and propanediol. The caffeine content of this ingredient is about 100 ppm.
Coffea Arabica is native to Ethiopia.
Learn more about Coffea Arabica Seed ExtractWe don't have a description for Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate yet.
Ethylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinThis extract comes from the Cabbage Palm, AKA the Açaí berry! It has skin soothing and antioxidant properties.
Acai berries are rich in antioxidants, including ferulic acid (The famous vitamin C stabilizer). Antioxidants protect your skin against damaging free-radical molecules.
You can also find carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, vitamin A, and Vitamin C in these berries.
Learn more about Euterpe Oleracea Fruit ExtractWe don't have a description for Garcinia Mangostana Fruit Extract yet.
Glycerin (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 GlycerinWe don't have a description for Lauramidopropyl Hydroxysultaine yet.
Lycium Barbarum Fruit Extract comes from the Goji Berry. Goji berries are native to China and can be found across Eurasia.
Goji berries contain polysaccharides, carotenoids and flavonoids. Antioxidants help your body fight off free-radical molecules. These molecules are unstable and may damage your skin. By making free-radicals more stable, antioxidants can help with anti-aging.
Polysaccharides help hydrate the top layer of skin due to its ability to mimic natural carbohydrates.
Learn more about Lycium Barbarum Fruit ExtractMorinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract is also known as yaeyama aoki, noni, or the great morinda. This fruit is packed with bioactive compounds that give it skin conditioning and antioxidant properties.
Research on this ingredient has shown some interesting results: a clinical trial on 49 women (ages 38-55) found the daily use of noni-based skincare improved skin firmness and elasticity by up to ~42.4% over six weeks.
Lab studies have also demonstrated that some of the compounds can inhibit tyrosinase ans elastase, enzymes involved in pigmentation and the breaking down of skin's elastic fibers.
Fun fact: This ingredient has been used in Polynesian folk medicine for over 2,000 years.
Learn more about Morinda Citrifolia Fruit ExtractParfum 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 ParfumPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Punica Granatum Fruit Juice is also known as pomegranate juice.
Pomegranates are rich in fatty acids, including an unsaturated fatty acid by the name of Punicic acid. Other components of pomegranates include Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and bioactive lipids such as phytosterols, phospholipids, and triterpenes.
Chances 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 Laurate is the sodium salt of lauric acid. It is a cleansing and emulsifying ingredient.
Emulsifiers help prevent ingredients such as water and oils from separating.
We don't have a description for Sodium Lauroamphoacetate yet.
We don't have a description for Sodium Lauroyl Glycinate yet.
We don't have a description for Stearamidoethyl Diethylamine yet.
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
