What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
CI 77004
Cosmetic ColorantSodium Bicarbonate
Abrasive
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Diglycerin
Humectant
Allantoin
Skin Conditioning
Water
Skin ConditioningMaltodextrin
Absorbent
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Oryza Sativa Powder
Oryza Sativa Lees Extract
Skin ConditioningOryza Sativa Bran Water
Masking
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Ceramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Ascorbic Acid
Antioxidant
Alpha-Arbutin
Antioxidant
Glucose
Humectant
Oryza Sativa Extract
Absorbent
Protease
Exfoliating
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantGlycerin
Humectant
Tartaric Acid
Buffering
Lactic Acid
Buffering
Oryza Sativa Seed Protein
Antioxidant
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin ConditioningCaprylyl Glycol
Emollient
Zea Mays Starch, CI 77004, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Citric Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Diglycerin, Allantoin, Water, Maltodextrin, Papain, Oryza Sativa Powder, Oryza Sativa Lees Extract, Oryza Sativa Bran Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ceramide NP, Ascorbic Acid, Alpha-Arbutin, Glucose, Oryza Sativa Extract, Protease, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Tartaric Acid, Lactic Acid, Oryza Sativa Seed Protein, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Caprylyl Glycol
Zea Mays Starch
Absorbent
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Ficus Carica Fruit Water
MaskingAspergillus Ferment
Skin ConditioningTriticum Aestivum Seed Extract
Perfuming
Ficus Carica Fruit Extract
Humectant
Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate
CleansingAllantoin
Skin Conditioning
Papain
Skin Conditioning
Glycerin
Humectant
Mandelic Acid
Antimicrobial
Maltodextrin
Absorbent
Water
Skin Conditioning1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Lipase
Skin ConditioningProtease
Exfoliating
Ficin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Zea Mays Starch, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Ficus Carica Fruit Water, Aspergillus Ferment, Triticum Aestivum Seed Extract, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate, Allantoin, Papain, Glycerin, Mandelic Acid, Maltodextrin, Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Lipase, Protease, Ficin, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.Â
It is a:
- Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
- Emollient, helping to soften skin
- Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
- Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservativesÂ
Allantoin is a soothing ingredient known for its protective and moisturizing properties; it's basically a quiet workhorse ingredient you can find in a huge range of cosmetics.
Though it can be derived from the comfrey plant, allantoin is produced synthetically for cosmetic products to ensure purity.
Research shows it can encourage your skin cells to turn over and renew by stimulating keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation.
It also has mild keratolytic properties to help loosen and shed dead skin cells without being harsh.
Studies also suggest allantoin can help calm inflammation by dialing down some of the chemical signals your skin sends out when it is irritated.
This ingredient is typically used in the 0.1-0.5% range, and the FDA recognizes it as a skin protectant in OTC products up to 2%.
Overall, allantoin is a wonderful addition to most routines; it is stable across a wide pH range (~4-8), works well with other ingredients, and is considered non-sensitizing/non-irritating.
Fun fact: Allantoin is naturally occurring in comfrey root, beets, chamomile, and wheat sprouts. Our bodies even produce it as a byproduct of uric acid metabolism.
Learn more about AllantoinGlycerin (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 GlycerinMaltodextrin is a polysaccharide. It is derived from starch such as rice, corn, wheat, or potato starch.
In food, Maltodextrin is used to improve the texture and thicken a product. Due to its structure, it can help create a gel texture. As an emulsion stabilizer, it helps keep the ingredients in a product together.
As a polysaccharide, Maltodextrin has moisturizing properties. Polysaccharides are a type of carbohydrate. The top layer of skin uses polysaccharides to retain water, keeping the skin hydrated.
Maltodextrin is water soluble and has a sweet taste.
Learn more about MaltodextrinPapain is a proteolytic enzyme extracted from unripe papaya fruit. It is a gentle exfoliator that helps remove the dead skin cells from your outermost layer of skin.
Basically, papain works by dissolving the "glue" holding dead skin cells to your skin's surface. This also promotes cell turnover and smooths texture.
Unlike other exfoliants, papain can work without causing significant irritation.
Beyond exfoliation, its proteolytic action also helps soothe irritated skin and supports the healing of minor wounds.
A 2024 in vivo/in vitro study confirmed its potential to suppress skin inflammation and improve transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in atopic dermatitis models.
Just one thing worth noting: there are reports of allergic responses in individuals with a papaya or latex sensitivity. Be sure to patch test if you're in this camp.
Learn more about PapainProtease is an enzyme that works as a gentle exfoliant by mimicking something your skin already does naturally.
Your skin uses proteolytic enzymes to carry out desquamation; this is the process of shedding dead skin cells from the stratum corneum.
In skincare, proteases act as biological catalysts that mimic this natural desquamation process. You can think of it as giving your skin's own renewal system a nudge.
By breaking down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together, proteases help accelerate cell turnover to:
One reason they're becoming a popular AHA alternative is because proteases are considered effective while also being well-tolerated on skin. Because they work at a protein level rather than by lowering the skin pH, they can be a good option for those sensitive to AHAs.
Available in vitro and in vivo studies show positive exfoliant results but clinical (human) trials specifically on enzymatic exfoliation are still limited at this time.
Just one thing worth noting: temperature, pH, and stabilization are important factors that affect enzyme activity. The formulation quality definitely matters with this ingredient.
This ingredient can be either microbial sourced or plant-derived (papain from papaya, bromelain from pineapple).
Learn more about ProteaseSodium 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 hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.
Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl IsethionateSodium Lauroyl Glutamate is the sodium salt from the lauric acid of glutamic acid.
It is a surfactant and helps cleanse the skin. Surfactants gather oil, dirt, and other pollutants from your skin so they may be washed away easily.
Water. 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 WaterZea Mays Starch is starch made from corn. You might know this as cornstarch . It is used to thicken a product. It can replace talc as an absorbent.
The pH of cornstarch is 5.92.
Cornstarch is a common food ingredient used to thicken soups or to make corn syrup.
Learn more about Zea Mays Starch
