What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
No key ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningSodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
CleansingPolyacrylate-33
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate
CleansingCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Glycerin
Humectant
Sodium PCA
Humectant
Cocos Nucifera Water
Masking
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Humectant
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningParfum
Masking
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Hydroxide
BufferingSodium Benzoate
Masking
Sodium Cyanate
Glyceryl Glucoside
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
CI 42090
Cosmetic ColorantWater, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Polyacrylate-33, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Cocos Nucifera Water, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum, Betaine, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Cyanate, Glyceryl Glucoside, Panthenol, CI 42090
Water
Skin ConditioningCocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
Cleansing
Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
CleansingDisodium 2-Sulfolaurate
CleansingGlycerin
Humectant
Xylitylglucoside
Humectant
Anhydroxylitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Maltooligosyl Glucoside
Skin ConditioningHydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate
HumectantSodium PCA
Humectant
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Sodium Hyaluronate
Humectant
Proline
Skin Conditioning
Hydroxyproline
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Emulsion StabilisingTriethanolamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningPhenoxyethanol
Preservative
Silica
Abrasive
Betaine
Humectant
Sodium Gluconate
Skin ConditioningHyaluronic Acid
Humectant
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate, Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate, Glycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Proline, Hydroxyproline, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Triethanolamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Silica, Betaine, Sodium Gluconate, Hyaluronic Acid
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Betaine is a humectant. Like hyaluronic acid, it helps attract and retain moisture in the skin. Itβs known for being gentle and for helping the skin maintain balanced hydration.
Betaine is mainly used to improve hydration and support calmer skin. It helps skin cells regulate water balance because it functions as an osmolyte.
Some studies suggest betaine may support making skin tone more even.
Fun fact: Betaine naturally exists in the skin and the body. In cosmetic products, it can be either plant-derived (most commonly from sugar beets) or synthetically produced for consistency and stability.
Betaine is also known as trimethylglycine.
Learn more about BetaineCocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.
This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.
Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.
While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.
Learn more about Cocamidopropyl BetaineEthylhexylglycerin 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 GlycerinPanthenol is a common ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe the skin. It is found naturally in our skin and hair.
There are two forms of panthenol: D and L.
D-panthenol is also known as dexpanthenol. Most cosmetics use dexpanthenol or a mixture of D and L-panthenol.
Panthenol is famous due to its ability to go deeper into the skin's layers. Using this ingredient has numerous pros (and no cons):
Like hyaluronic acid, panthenol is a humectant. Humectants are able to bind and hold large amounts of water to keep skin hydrated.
This ingredient works well for wound healing. It works by increasing tissue in the wound and helps close open wounds.
Once oxidized, panthenol converts to pantothenic acid. Panthothenic acid is found in all living cells.
This ingredient is also referred to as pro-vitamin B5.
Learn more about PanthenolPhenoxyethanol is a preservative that has germicide, antimicrobial, and aromatic properties. Studies show that phenoxyethanol can prevent microbial growth. By itself, it has a scent that is similar to that of a rose.
It's often used in formulations along with Caprylyl Glycol to preserve the shelf life of products.
Sodium PCA is the sodium salt of pyroglutamic acid. It is naturally occurring in our skin's natural moisturizing factors where it works to maintain hydration.
The PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural amino acid derivative.
This ingredient has skin conditioning, anti-inflammatory, and humectant properties. Humectants help hydrate your skin by drawing moisture from the air. This helps keep your skin moisturized.
Learn more about Sodium PCAWater. 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
