What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningDecyl Glucoside
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate
CleansingButylene Glycol
Humectant
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingSodium Chloride
MaskingAcrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingDipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Saccharide Isomerate
Humectant
Tromethamine
BufferingCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Xanthan Gum
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPolyquaternium-51
Skin Conditioning
Hexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingSodium Citrate
BufferingCitric Acid
Buffering
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Bifida Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment
Skin Conditioning
Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate
Skin Conditioning
Disodium EDTA
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Butylene Glycol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Saccharide Isomerate, Tromethamine, Caprylyl Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyquaternium-51, Hexylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Bifida Ferment Lysate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Disodium EDTA
Water
Skin ConditioningLauryl Hydroxysultaine
CleansingAcrylates Copolymer
Sodium Chloride
MaskingSodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingPotassium Cocoyl Glycinate
Potassium Cocoate
Emulsifying
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantHydroxyacetophenone
Antioxidant
Caprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Masking
Houttuynia Cordata Powder
Skin ConditioningHexylene Glycol
EmulsifyingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningDisodium EDTA
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Water, Lauryl Hydroxysultaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Potassium Cocoate, Dipropylene Glycol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil, Houttuynia Cordata Powder, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tocopherol
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.
Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.
Because it is not a free-fatty acid or alcohol, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).
Learn more about Caprylyl GlycolDipotassium Glycyrrhizate comes from licorice root.
Extracts of licorice have demonstrated to have antibacterial, anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant properties.
One component, glabridin, has extra potent antioxidant and soothing properties. It has also been found to block pigmentation from UVB rays in guinea pigs.
Licorice Root also contains a flavonoid. Flavonoids are a natural substance from in plants. Flavonoids also have antioxidant properties.
Another component, glycyrrhizin, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits. This may make licorice root extract effective at treating acne. However, more research is needed to support this.
Liquiritin is one of the flavone compounds found in licorice. It has been found to help lighten skin by preventing tyrosinase from reacting with tyrosine. When the two react, protein is converted to melanin. Melanin is the substance in your body that gives your features pigmentation.
Licorice root is native to Southern Europe and Asia. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with respiratory issues.
Learn more about Dipotassium GlycyrrhizateDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolDisodium 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.
Disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. It grabs onto and deactivates metal ions that sneak into your products from water, packaging, or air.
This ingredient mainly works behind the scenes and helps with:
On top of that, this ingredient can counteract the effects of hard water by binding to the minerals in it.
One thing worth knowing is that Disodium EDTA has been shown to be a mild penetration enhancer. It can help other ingredients absorb into skin more effectively which can be a double-edged sword (great for actives, but can also make the active too strong if you have sensitive skin).
Clinical patch testing showed no significant skin irritation at typical use concentrations and minimal dermal absorption.
You'll most likely see this ingredient near the end of an ingredient list. It's typically found in concentrations less than 1%.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAEthylhexylglycerin 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 EthylhexylglycerinHexylene Glycol is a multitasker ingredient that works as a solvent, humectant, emulsifier, viscosity reducer, and preservative booster.
It is able to dissolve both water and oil-soluble ingredients to stabilize tricky actives and make products spread more easily.
As a humectant, it pulls water into the skin. But it's a pretty minor moisturizing ingredient compared to other humectants, like glycerin.
Interestingly, it can act as a mild penetration enhancer. One in vitro study on human skin found a 12% concentration upped the absorption of mometasone furoate (a medicinal ingredient used to treat inflammatory skin conditions) up to 7%.
This ingredient is typically used at levels of 0.1-10% depending on the role it's playing.
A patch test study on eczema patients didn't find a significant increase in irritation versus the control group, but the potential for irritation rises at higher concentrations.
Learn more about Hexylene GlycolHydroxyacetophenone is antioxidant with skin conditioning and soothing properties. It also boosts the efficiency of preservatives.
Though naturally occuring in Norwegian spruce needles, this ingredient is usually synthetically created.
This ingredient is not irritating or sensitizing. Recent research also suggests it may have skin-brightening effects through tyrosinase inhibition.
Learn more about HydroxyacetophenoneChances 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 ChlorideThis gentle cleansing and foaming ingredient is known for leaving a smooth feeling in skin and hair. It is made using coconut oil.
According to the manufacturer, it is soluble in water and has resistance to hard water, acid, and alkali.
Due to its coconut base, it may not be Malassezia folliculitis safe.
Learn more about Sodium Methyl Cocoyl TaurateWater. 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
