What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Ingredients Side-by-side
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Protease is an enzyme that works as a gentle exfoliant by mimicking something your skin already does naturally.
Your skin uses proteolytic enzymes to carry out desquamation; this is the process of shedding dead skin cells from the stratum corneum.
In skincare, proteases act as biological catalysts that mimic this natural desquamation process. You can think of it as giving your skin's own renewal system a nudge.
By breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together, proteases help accelerate cell turnover to:
One reason they're becoming a popular AHA alternative is because proteases are considered effective while also being well-tolerated on skin. Because they work at a protein level rather than by lowering the skin pH, they can be a good option for those sensitive to AHAs.
Available in vitro and in vivo studies show positive exfoliant results but clinical (human) trials specifically on enzymatic exfoliation are still limited at this time.
Just one thing worth noting: temperature, pH, and stabilization are important factors that affect enzyme activity. The formulation quality definitely matters with this ingredient.
This ingredient can be either microbial sourced or plant-derived (papain from papaya, bromelain from pineapple).
Learn more about ProteaseSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateSodium Lauroyl Glutamate is the sodium salt from the lauric acid of glutamic acid.
It is a surfactant and helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants from your skin so they may be washed away easily.
Zea Mays Starch is starch made from corn. You might know this as cornstarch . It is used to thicken a product. It can replace talc as an absorbent.
The pH of cornstarch is 5.92.
Cornstarch is a common food ingredient used to thicken soups or to make corn syrup.
Learn more about Zea Mays Starch