Benton
Benton Deep Green Tea Lotion 120ml
Twenty-two ingredients, and it needs no preservative.
Green tea water is first, ahead of plain water — which is why the list can be this short.
Light lotion, sinks fast.
What this lotion does
A 120 ml light emulsion whose water phase is green tea leaf water, with the tea plant in four forms, Centella and heartleaf, and a two-oil emollient system.
How a list gets down to twenty-two
Most lotions run to forty or sixty entries. Cutting to twenty-two means every ingredient has to earn a slot, and the first thing to go is the preservative.
1,2-Hexanediol and Pentylene Glycol are glycols. They hold water, they help other ingredients dissolve, and they also inhibit microbial growth — which lets a brand build a shelf-stable product with nothing on the label that exists solely to preserve it. That is the trade Benton has made across its range, and it is why people with reactive skin gravitate to it.
What is left after that: the tea base, three humectants, two emollients, three emulsifying and thickening agents, four botanicals, tocopherol, and arginine to set the pH. Nothing decorative.
Four parts of the tea plant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water is the first ingredient, ahead of water — the liquid this lotion is built from is a tea distillate. Then three more preparations of the same plant lower down: Leaf Extract (14), Seed Extract (15) and Root Extract (16).
Root is the interesting one. Tea root is barely used in cosmetics at all; it is where the plant concentrates saponins, which are a different class of compound entirely from the catechins in the leaf. Four parts of one plant is a formulator treating the tea as the subject rather than the garnish.
Key ingredients
Ingredient · What it is, and what it is used for
- Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water
- Distillate of green tea leaf. First on the list, ahead of water — the base of the formula.
- Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
- Solvent extract of green tea leaf. Used to slow oxidation, in the formula and on skin; used to calm irritation.
- Camellia Sinensis Seed Extract
- Extract of the tea seed, where the plant holds its oil and saponins.
- Camellia Sinensis Root Extract
- Extract of tea root. Rarely used in cosmetics; a different compound profile from the leaf.
- Centella Asiatica Extract
- Extract of Centella asiatica, whole plant. Used to calm irritation; used to slow oxidation, in the formula and on skin.
- Houttuynia Cordata Extract
- Heartleaf extract. Used to calm the look of redness.
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- Medium-chain triglyceride from coconut. Used to soften by filling the gaps between surface cells. Third on this list.
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
- Oil from sunflower seed, high in linoleic acid. Sits on top and slows how fast water leaves.
- Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate
- Polyglyceryl ester. Keeps oil and water from separating — the main emulsifier here.
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Fatty alcohol blend. Used to soften; sets how thick it is; supports the emulsion.
- Tocopherol
- Vitamin E. Used to slow oxidation, in the formula and on skin — here it also protects the sunflower oil.
- Punica Granatum Fruit Extract
- Extract of pomegranate fruit.
How the formula works together
The oil phase is two ingredients and both are light: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride at three, which spreads and sinks, and Sunflower Seed Oil at nine, chosen for its linoleic acid content rather than for weight. There is no butter, no mineral oil, no silicone.
Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate and Glyceryl Stearate Citrate hold it together; Cetearyl Alcohol, Carbomer and Xanthan Gum set the body. Arginine neutralises the carbomer and adjusts pH.
So this is a lotion in the Korean sense — thinner than a Western cream, meant to be a step rather than the final seal. No fragrance and no essential oil on the list.
Who it is for
Labelled for all skin types. Suits normal to slightly dry skin, and suits anyone who reacts to long ingredient lists, fragrance or preservatives. If you are very dry in winter, use it under something heavier rather than instead of one.
How to use it
- After toner and serum, take an appropriate amount.
- Spread smoothly over the face.
- Pat gently to help it absorb.
- Apply while skin is still damp — a light lotion holds water better than it adds it.
Details
- Size
- 120 ml
- Made in
- Korea
- Base
- Green tea leaf water, ahead of water on the list
- Preservative
- None on the label — glycols do the job
- Ingredients
- 22, published in full below
Full ingredient list
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis Root Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Tocopherol, Betaine, Arginine, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum
In label order, unedited.
Ships from Korea.
