What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCoco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Coco-Sulfate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
CleansingCitric Acid
Buffering
Glyceryl Oleate
Emollient
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Maris Sal
Skin ConditioningNiacinamide
Smoothing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Antioxidant
Glycol Distearate
Emollient
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
Emollient
Lecithin
Emollient
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Benzoic Acid
Masking
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingWater, Coco-Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Oleate, Panthenol, Maris Sal, Niacinamide, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Glycol Distearate, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Lecithin, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Citric 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-GlucosideGlycerin (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 GlycerinWater. 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
