What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
PEG-2 Stearate
Emulsifying
Myristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingLauric Acid
Cleansing
Olea Europaea Husk Oil
Skin Conditioning
Lauramide DEA
Potassium Lauroyl Glutamate
CleansingAlcohol
Antimicrobial
Potassium Chloride
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingParfum
Masking
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingTocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
O-Cymen-5-Ol
Antimicrobial
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Sodium Chloride
MaskingLactic Acid
Buffering
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Antioxidant
Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract
Skin ConditioningCI 77288
Cosmetic ColorantCI 77492
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Butylene Glycol, PEG-2 Stearate, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Lauric Acid, Olea Europaea Husk Oil, Lauramide DEA, Potassium Lauroyl Glutamate, Alcohol, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Tocopheryl Acetate, O-Cymen-5-Ol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol, Sodium Chloride, Lactic Acid, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, CI 77288, CI 77492
Water
Skin ConditioningStearic Acid
Cleansing
PEG-8
HumectantMyristic Acid
Cleansing
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingGlycerin
Humectant
Lauric Acid
Cleansing
Centella Asiatica Leaf Water
Skin Conditioning
Palmitic Acid
Emollient
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Glyceryl Stearate Se
Emulsifying
Polyquaternium-7
PEG-14m
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Phytate
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Silica
Abrasive
BHT
Antioxidant
Salix Alba Bark Extract
Astringent
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Citrus Junos Peel Extract
Skin ConditioningCollagen Extract
Skin Conditioning
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Stearic Acid, PEG-8, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Lauric Acid, Centella Asiatica Leaf Water, Palmitic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Polyquaternium-7, PEG-14m, Sodium Phytate, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Silica, BHT, Salix Alba Bark Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Junos Peel Extract, Collagen Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:
Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.
Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.
Learn more about Butylene GlycolGlycerin (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 GlycerinLauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid naturally found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and even breast milk.
In cosmetics, it is an:
Lab studies have found that lauric acid is surprisingly good at killing acne-causing bacteria. However, these tests were done on bacteria in a petri dish and not on real skin, so we can't say for certain it works the same in a formulation on a real face.
The comedogenic rating of 4 comes from the 1972 rabbit ear model using undiluted ingredients. Comedogenicity is highly individual and one comedogenic ingredient cannot predict how a formula will behave on skin.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe and research has confirmed Malassezia can use it as a food source.
Learn more about Lauric AcidMyristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It is naturally found in milk fat. Other sources include palm oil, coconut oil, and butter fat.
Myristic Acid is an emulsifer and cleanser. As an emulsifer, it stabilizes a product by preventing ingredients from separating. Myristic Acid helps clean your skin by acting as a surfactant. It tends to gather oil and dirt on your skin to be easily rinsed away.
One study from 2021 found Myristic Acid to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Learn more about Myristic AcidPalmitic Acid is a fatty acid naturally found in our skin and in many plant and animal sources. In cosmetics, it is usually derived from palm oil. It serves many purposes in skincare, acting as a cleanser, emollient, and emulsifier.
Interestingly, topically applied Palmitic Acid can be elongated into longer chain fatty acids and ceramides. A 2019 study found low levels of Palmitic Acid lead to slower development of cells, suggesting it plays a role in keeping your skin's renewal process on track.
The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) panel determined it safe as used in cosmetics at concentrations up to 13%. It is non-irritating and non-sensitizing in clinical studies.
The culprit behind fungal acne, the Malassezia yeast, feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between C11-C24. Palmitic Acid, at C16, falls right into that sweet spot.
In vitro studies have shown that Palmitic Acid is one of the fatty acids that induce rapid Malassezia growth in lab settings.
It's worth noting that what feeds yeast in a lab doesn't necessarily feed it on your face since formulation and your skin's chemistry play a bigger role.
Learn more about Palmitic AcidPotassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideWater. 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
