What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningOlive Oil PEG-7 Esters
Emollient
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
PEG-150 Distearate
Emulsifying
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin Conditioning
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil
Masking
Sea Salt
Abrasive
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil
Masking
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Limonene
Perfuming
Linalool
Perfuming
Water, Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, PEG-150 Distearate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Sea Salt, Coco-Betaine, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Limonene, Linalool
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleansing
Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters
Emollient
Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate
Emulsifying
Coco-Betaine
Cleansing
Potassium Lactate
BufferingPEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
Emulsifying
Sodium Citrate
BufferingLactic Acid
Buffering
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil
Masking
Glycerin
Humectant
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Emollient
Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil
Emollient
Ormenis Multicaulis Oil
Masking
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil
Masking
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract
Bleaching
Carum Petroselinum Seed Oil
Masking
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone
Preservative
Linalool
Perfuming
Limonene
Perfuming
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters, Sodium PEG-7 Olive Oil Carboxylate, Coco-Betaine, Potassium Lactate, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sodium Citrate, Lactic Acid, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ribes Nigrum Seed Oil, Ormenis Multicaulis Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract, Carum Petroselinum Seed Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Linalool, Limonene
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Coco-Betaine is the natural version of Cocamidopropyl Betaine. It is often derived from coconuts.
Coco-Betaine is a surfactant, meaning it helps remove dirt and oil from the skin.
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 GlycerinLimonene is the compound that gives citrus peel its smell.
In skincare, it shows up as a standalone fragrance ingredient or as a natural compound of citrus and other essential oils.
You'll typically see this ingredient used in very small amounts; anything above 0.001% in a leave-on product or 0.01% in a rinse-off has to be named on the label in the EU. The citrus oils that carry it sit around 0.5-1% in a finished formula.
Fresh limonene is a weak allergen; the real issue is that it slowly reacts with air and then breaks down from oxidation to create hydroperoxides (which are strong sensitizers). This is why suppliers are required to keep the peroxide value below 20 mmol.
Positive reactions in people being investigated for eczema vary:
It's worth skipping if you have a known fragrance allergy or a compromised barrier, but the risk is low for most people.
Older or long-opened products are also more likely to bother you than fresh ones due to oxidation.
Learn more about LimoneneLinalool is a small, naturally occurring scent molecule found in plants like lavender, coriander, bergamot, and more.
It is one of the two most-used fragrance ingredients in cosmetics and added purely for smell. Since it's not used for a skin benefit, there's no "effective dose". Concentration depends on the fragrance load of the product.
The EU requires it to be named on the label above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
Fresh linalool is a weak sensitizer but air exposure turns some of it into hydroperoxides, which are strong sensitizers. Those oxidation products are the actual allergy concern.
Patch-test clinics see positive reactions to linalool hydroperoxides in about 4% to 12% of dermatitis patients depending on country and test concentration.
Resassuringly, one analytical study found hydroperoxide levels in real fragranced products to be orders of magnitude below what induced sensitization in animal studies with no evidence of oxidation building up during normal storage.
The practical takeaway is that linalool is fine for most people but worth avoiding if you have a confirmed fragrance contact allergy or a badly compromised barrier.
Products stored a long time after opening are also the high-risk scenario since that is when oxidation happens.
The scent of linalool is described as floral, spicy tropical, and citrus-like.
Learn more about LinaloolMethylchloroisothiazolinone, or MCI, is a synthetic preservative used to protect against the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi in water-based products.
MCI is commonly combined with methylisothiazolinone (MI) in a 3:1 ratio.
This ingredient is safe in cosmetics when formulated to be non-sensitizing and concentrations must not exceed 7.5 ppm in leave-on products / 15 ppm in rinse-off products.
Unfortunately, this ingredient has a well-documented sensitization story. Studies spanning several decades have shown this ingredient + MI to cause skin irritation and allergies.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
This just means this ingredient is most likely non-sensitizing in rinse-off products unless you've been diagnosed with a contact allergy to isothiazolinones.
Learn more about MethylchloroisothiazolinoneMI is a preservative and known skin irritant. In the past, MI was used for its ability to prevent bacteria, yeast, and fungi growth in low doses.
Nowadays, you'll most likely see MI combined with Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI).
Since then, numerous studies have shown this ingredient to cause contact dermatitis, or skin irritation.
The use of this ingredient varies around the world:
Learn more about MethylisothiazolinoneOlive Oil PEG-7 Esters is an emollient and emulsifier that is water dispersible despite being oil derived.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel evaluated it as part of a 130-ingredient group of "PEGylated Oils" and concluded the whole group, including this one, is safe as used in cosmetics when formulated to be non-irritating.
Industry survey data shows use concentrations from about 0.05% up to 97%, with leave-on products typically sitting closer to 1-12%.
This exact ingredient doesn't have documented case reports but closely related PEG-7 fatty acid esters do; there's a published case of contact dermatitis from PEG-7 hydrogenated castor oil in a sunscreen, and another from PEG-7 monooleate.
A true allergy is possible but appears uncommon. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.
Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage. Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin.
The Malassezia yeast breaks down fatty acid esters in the C11-24 range. Since this ingredient is an ester of olive oil's fatty acids (mostly C18), it may not be fungal acne safe.
Learn more about Olive Oil PEG-7 EstersWater. 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
