What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
SurfactantPolyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingPanthenol
Skin Conditioning
Maltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantKidachi Aloe Youjyuu Matsu
EmollientArtemisia Argyi Leaf Extract
Skin ConditioningMannitol
Humectant
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingErythritol
Humectant
Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate
EmulsifyingGlutamic Acid
Humectant
Centella Asiatica Extract
Cleansing
Sodium Sulfate
Glycerin
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
Antioxidant
Sarcosine
Skin Conditioning
PEG-14m
Emulsion StabilisingGlycine
Buffering
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Hydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Aspartic Acid
Masking
PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate
Moisturising
BHT
Antioxidant
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Panthenol, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Kidachi Aloe Youjyuu Matsu, Artemisia Argyi Leaf Extract, Mannitol, Potassium Hydroxide, Erythritol, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Glutamic Acid, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Sulfate, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Sarcosine, PEG-14m, Glycine, Phenoxyethanol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Aspartic Acid, PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate, BHT
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingAlpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Glutathione
Tetrasodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningMenthol
Masking
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Glycerin, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, Allantoin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Alpha-Arbutin, Glutathione, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Menthol
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineGlycerin (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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPhenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.
Learn more about PhenoxyethanolSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It is a surfactant derived from sarcosine, and a common source is coconut oil.
As a surfactant, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate helps lift dirts, oil, and other molecules to be washed away. In leave-on products, this ingredient is used as an emulsifier. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients such as oils and waters from separating.
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is also commonly found as a foaming agent in shampoo, toothpaste, and shaving foam. It is amphiphilic, meaning it loves both water and fats.
Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl SarcosinateWater. 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
