What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDisodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingLauryl Phosphate
EmulsifyingSodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
Emollient
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Glycerin
Humectant
Olea Europaea Leaf Oil
Perfuming
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf
Masking
Cucumis Sativus Fruit
Skin Conditioning
Tocopheryl Acetate
Antioxidant
Citric Acid
Buffering
Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
Parfum
Masking
Water, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Lauryl Phosphate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Glycerin, Olea Europaea Leaf Oil, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Cucumis Sativus Fruit, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Diazolidinyl Urea, Parfum
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningBisabolol
Antioxidant
Butyl Avocadate
Skin Conditioning
Capryloyl Glycine
CleansingCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
CI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantCitric Acid
Buffering
Coco-Glucoside
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Glyceryl Caprylate
EmollientGlycine Soja Oil
Emollient
Glycine Soja Sterols
Emollient
Glycolipids
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Castor Oil
Emollient
Hydrolyzed Chenopodium Quinoa Seed
Skin ConditioningHydroxypropyl Guar
Emulsion StabilisingMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Parfum
Masking
Phospholipids
Skin Conditioning
Potassium Sorbate
Preservative
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Cocoyl Glutamate
Cleansing
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Zinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol, Water, Bisabolol, Butyl Avocadate, Capryloyl Glycine, Cetearyl Alcohol, CI 77891, Citric Acid, Coco-Glucoside, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glycine Soja Oil, Glycine Soja Sterols, Glycolipids, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydrolyzed Chenopodium Quinoa Seed, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Maltodextrin, Parfum, Phospholipids, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Tocopherol, Zea Mays Starch, Zinc Gluconate
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCitric 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 AcidWe don't have a description for Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate yet.
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 GlycerinHydrogenated Castor Oil is created by adding hydrogen to castor oil. This helps stabilize the castor oil and raises the melting point. At room temperature, hydrogenated castor oil is solid.
Castor Oil helps moisturize the skin. It is rich in a fatty acid called ricinoleic acid. This fatty acid helps prevent moisture loss on the skin. This helps keep your skin soft and hydrated. Ricinoleic acid also has anti-inflammatory and pain reducing properties.
As a wax-like substance, Hydrogenated Castor Oil acts as an emollient. Emollients help keep your skin stay soft and smooth by creating a barrier. This barrier helps trap moisture.
Hydrogenated Castor Oil may not be fungal-acne safe. We recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about Hydrogenated Castor OilParfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.
Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.
For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of âFRAGRANCEâ or âPARFUMâ according to EU and US regulations.
The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.
For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.
One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.
Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.
Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.
The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.
Learn more about ParfumSodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.
The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.
This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.
This ingredient hasnât been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateWater. 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
