What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sorbitol
Humectant
Propanediol
Solvent
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside
CleansingDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingDisodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Chloride
MaskingCitric Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientDisodium EDTA
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningButylene Glycol
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
Antimicrobial
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingBetula Platyphylla Japonica Juice
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Chloride
MaskingQuillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
CleansingCynanchum Atratum Extract
Skin ConditioningAlthaea Rosea Flower Extract
Skin ConditioningHydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Houttuynia Cordata Extract
Skin Conditioning
Betaine
Humectant
Lauryl Hydroxysultaine
Cleansing1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Phytate
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Dextrin
AbsorbentButylene Glycol
Humectant
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningGardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Sodium Chloride, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Cynanchum Atratum Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Betaine, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Coco-Glucoside, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Citric Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Phytate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Dextrin, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Hexylene Glycol, Ceramide NP, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract
Reviews
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 GlycolCitric Acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) naturally found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes.
Like other AHAs, citric acid can exfoliate skin by breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This helps reveal smoother and brighter skin underneath.
However, this exfoliating effect only happens at high concentrations (20%) which can be hard to find in cosmetic products.
Due to this, citric acid is usually included in small amounts as a pH adjuster. This helps keep products slightly more acidic and compatible with skin's natural pH.
In skincare formulas, citric acid can:
While it can provide some skin benefits, research shows lactic acid and glycolic acid are generally more effective and less irritating exfoliants.
Most citric acid used in skincare today is made by fermenting sugars (usually from molasses). This synthetic version is identical to the natural citrus form but easier to stabilize and use in formulations.
Read more about some other popular AHA's here:
Learn more about Citric AcidCoco-Glucoside is a surfactant, or a cleansing ingredient. It is made from glucose and coconut oil.
Surfactants help gather dirt, oil, and other pollutants from your skin to be rinsed away.
This ingredient is considered gentle and non-comedogenic. However, it may still be irritating for some.
Learn more about Coco-GlucosideDisodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a surfactant and helps cleanse skin. It is created from the fatty acids of coconut oil.
Surfactants help rinse oil, dirt, and other pollutants easily from skin. It has a faint fruit-like scent.
Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:
The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.
Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.
Learn more about EthylhexylglycerinGlycerin (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 GlycerinGlyceryl Caprylate comes from glycerin and caprylic acid. It is an emollient, co-emulsifier, and preservative booster.
Its short C8 fatty acid chain makes it behave differently from its longer-chain emollient cousins like Glyceryl Stearate. It feels more lightweight, fast-absorbing, and silky instead of rich and waxy.
As a co-emulsifier, its "head" and "tail" sit at the oil-water interface. But overall, the short C8 tail and not being water soluble means it doesn't really have the muscle to emulsify a formula on its own. That's why you'll often see it paired with a primary emulsifier like Cetearyl Glucoside.
Interestingly, Glyceryl Caprylate acts as a preservative booster. This is because its fatty-acid backbone disrupts microbial lipid membranes. It shows excellent activity against bacteria and yeast but is weaker against mold.
Typical concentrations range from 0.5-1% and this ingredient is generally non-irritating.
Because this ingredient has a C8 fatty acid chain, it is outside the range that the Malassezia yeast metabolizes (making it fungal acne safe).
Learn more about Glyceryl CaprylateChances are, you eat sodium chloride every day. Sodium Chloride is also known as table salt. This ingredient has many purposes in skincare: thickener, emulsifier, and exfoliator.
You'll most likely find this ingredient in cleansers where it is used to create a gel-like texture. As an emulsifier, it also prevents ingredients from separating.
You might see people debate whether Sodium Chloride is comedogenic, but there actually haven't been any comedogenic tests done on it. Either way, the overall formulation of a product matters a lot more than any single ingredient.
You might see this ingredient used in scrubs as a primary exfoliating ingredient.
Learn more about Sodium ChlorideWater. 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
